CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
Taizé: working for an open and sympathetic Europe Prayers, chants, moments of communion and reflection accompanied by debates on current events: these were the specific traits of the 31st European Youth Meeting organized by the Community of Taizè, that concluded on January 2 in Brussels. Some 40 young people from all over the world convened on December 29 to attend the encounter of the “pilgrimage of faith on earth”, that was initiated over thirty years ago by frére Roger. Also this year, Polish, Italian, German and French youth renewed their decision to devote New Year’s Eve to prayers for peace in the world. The initiative was followed by the “Feast of the Peoples”, where each group expressed their peoples’ souls with dances and chants in a spirit of communion and celebration. The youth were hosted by families living in Brussels and its surrounding areas, thus they spent January 1st in the family households. The evening of December 31st, Frère Alois announced to the youth that next year’s European meeting will take place in the city of Poznan, in Poland. The archbishop of the Polish city, Msgr. Stanislaw Gadecki, traveled to Brussels to disclose the news, while the 9thousand Polish youth in Brussels received it with a warm applause. Alois informed that this year “the pilgrimage of faith take place in Asia”, in the Philippines, Manila, on February 3-7. This meeting will be attended by delegations of youth arriving from all throughout Europe and from the other continents. During his meditations in Brussels – the heart of the European Union – Father Alois also touched the topic of Europe. “For the past 30 years our meetings contributed to mutual knowledge across European countries”, he said in his welcoming address to the youth on December 31st. We want Europe to be open and sympathetic, and we would like European Institutions to do their share so as to enable Europe to continue in this direction. Europe has managed to live an unprecedented period of peace. Christians have undertaken previously unconceivable reconciliation initiatives between European peoples. Will you continue giving your contribution to the erection of peace?” Fifteen days before the meeting in Brussels, the new prior of the Community of Taizè had a meeting with José Manuel Barroso, European Commission President, to whom he delivered this message. A number of representatives of EU Institutions took part in the encounters with the youth. These include Jacques Barrot, vice-President of the European Commission, and Jan Figel, European Commissioner in charge of education, training and culture. “What we are seeking within ourselves – said Father Alois at the end of the meeting – is peace, the peace of the heart, the peace of the entire human family”. “Which commitment can be taken in the face of complex problems such as poverty, injustices, and the threat of a conflict? We ought to open our arms to others with great simplicity, to those who are more vulnerable. We ought to open our arms to those who are excluded and abandoned. We want to convey concrete tokens marking the open and sympathetic trait of Europe. Consider the situation of immigrants, who are so close and yet are often so far from us. We will discover the presence of Christ even in places where we thought he was absent. Resurrected, He is there, among mankind”. Church of England: progressing towards female priesthood The Church of England, (led by archbishop Rowan Williams), developed a package of measures to pave the way to the controversial ordination of woman priests in the span of three years while preventing at the same time the risk of a schism fomented by conservative clergy environments and by the faithful who identify with the so-called “Anglo-Catholic” and “evangelical” wings. The proposals – developed by an ad hoc commission of bishops and posted on the website www.cofe.anglican.org – reaffirm the principle of equality between women and men throughout ecclesial career. The proposals do however envisage the appointment of “complementary” male bishops in those parishes marked by a traditional majority that don’t want a woman to lead their dioceses and reject the idea of woman priesthood. It’s not clear whether this compromise (optimistically described by the ‘Times’ as a “historic agreement”), will be capable of uniting a church torn by the issue of Episcopal ordination of women and gays. An on-spot test will take place February 9-13 when the General Synod of the Church of England will be called to speak on this matter. The Church of England opened its doors of Episcopal ordination of women in 1994 and presently counts some three thousand female priests, a third of the overall number. Woman bishops are active in suburban Anglican Churches in the United States and New Zealand. Strong resistance comes from the Anglican communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America that in the past months appeared to be on the verge of a schism.
