In 30.000 in Rotterdam

For a few days, from 28 December to 1 January the port city of Rotterdam will become the spiritual centre of Europe. 30 000 young people are expected to attend the 33rd European Meeting organized by the Taizé Community (www.taize.fr/en) at the invitation of the Bishops Conference of the Netherlands, the General Council of the Dutch Protestant Church (PKN) and the Netherlands Council of Churches. Organizers underline that “the pilgrimage of faith on earth”, this is the title given to the initiative, “follows the road paved by its founder, frère Roger, to support young people searching for reconciliation and peace, not only among Christians but also between peoples”.The young participants, arriving from all over the world, will be welcomed by communities and families across the region. They will spend their mornings in 150 host churches, and afternoons at the city exhibition center (Ahoy) for meals and prayer together. The afternoon workshops will allow young people to reflect on the sources of faith and their commitment to serve Christ in the Church and in society. Some topics will be inspired by the “Letter from Chile” that Brother Alois, the Prior of Taizé, will issue following a meeting of Latin American youth led by the Taizé Community in Santiago, Chile, from December 8 to 12.The meeting in Rotterdam follows those held, after the first 1978 edition in Paris, in various European countries. The latest ones were held in Poznan, Brussels, Geneva, Zagreb, Milan, Lisbon, Hamburg, Budapest, without forgetting Rome. In the Dutch city of Rotterdam was born 16th century philosopher Erasmus, an ardent supporter of the “peace of Christendom”, the “concord of the Church”, of reconciliation among peoples. It was chosen as the meeting’s venue since its context is marked by vivid secularism, but at the same time it represents Europe’s new multicultural and multireligious society, since some 25% of the overall population is Muslim. An encouragement for Holland and for Europe. “This event is of great importance for the Netherlands and for Europe”, young people will meet, and “will be a sign of hope and love for many”, said Msgr. Adrianus van Luyn, Bishop of Rotterdam and President of the Bishops’ Conference of the Netherlands, commenting on the meeting in the Dutch city. The prelate said he hopes that the gathering of so many young people who come together in the name of a common and shared faith will help to build unity among the youth of Europe, that it will be an encouragement for our parishes and our communities, who will welcome many young people for a few days to continue to proclaim the Gospel and, with young people, to serve society”. Msgr. van Luyn added, “We can be sure that the city and region, not just our churches, will enjoy the positive effects of this meeting, so that our common path towards the future will be a “pilgrimage of trust”.United beyond borders. Arjan Plaisier, Secretary of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) said, “The Taizé Community brings together young and old alike, beyond borders” that in a sense is the meaning of Europe: “to discover one another across borders”; Taizé “can help us to discover what we all seek, but what we do not necessarily find: belonging to a community. Indeed, it is based on values and a faith that does not exclude, but that connects”.Religion should not be “banned from public life”. “It’s wonderful to have such an event in Rotterdam”, said the mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb, (Muslim, son of Moroccan immigrants) in a speech at the radio of the Catholic Church of the Netherlands. Aboutaleb said the meeting “will provide space for reflection on deeper questions” which “we need”, since “a society without spirituality has a kind of shadow-side”. The mayor pointed out: “Sometimes you hear people say that spirituality and religion should be banned from public life. Religion is not a coat that can be taken off when you are in public with others. You wear this coat as a part of your origin, your identity and, for most people, of your values, too”. For Aboutaleb religion “does not detract from the neutrality of government, which does not mean it is not interested in the people’s motivations, or that it does nothing for the movement of the world. Being a good citizen is possible in the various ways that help make a person a real human being, leaving the space for everything that has value for us to have an identity”.