“Hope” to the East and to the West

An opportunity for “union, exchange of experiences and an occasion for ecumenism between the Churches of Eastern and Western Europe”. It is the major objective indicated by Josep Taberner Vilar, (from Catalonia) one of the two co-presidents of the Colloquium of European Parishes (CEP), who delivered the opening address of the 26th edition of the event, which is dedicated this year to the theme “Parishes, places of hope. Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have”, Nyíregyháza (Hungary), July 17.Two hundred participants from 17 different countries – which include Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland and Lithuania – from July 17 to Friday July 22 will reflect, listen to personal testimonies, visit local churches and make the experience of ecumenical movements. SIR Europe correspondent, Simona Mengascini, attends the meeting. This year’s CEP has been promoted and organized by one of the vice-Presidents, Hungarian Maria Kiss, the wife of a Greek-Catholic priest. The Greek-Catholic Church has a deeply-rooted Hungarian tradition and a dedicated shrine, the Shrine of Mariapocs, that is visited also by a large number of Roman Catholics and is a pilgrimage destination from the neighbouring countries. The choice of the seat was in fact determined by the geographic position of Nyíregyháza, which is in North-East Hungary, on the border between Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia, easily “accessible for Christians from the Eastern area of the Continent” – explained don Claudio Como, priest from the diocese of Udine, CEP president from 2001 to 2009 – who conveyed his strong interest in the Colloqium. The very name of the city, which in Hungarian sounds like “the Home of the One (or of the Community) in the region of the trees” is linked to CEP. At the time of the Austrian-Hungarian empire it had been renamed in German simply Kirche, “church”.The engagement in education and social assistance. The “underlying”, ecumenical feature was highlighted in the opening of the event with the celebration, according to the Greek-Catholic rite, of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The Celebration was presided over by Msgr. Fülöp Kocsis, bishop of the diocese of Hajdúdorog, that includes the city of Nyíregyháza. The pastor, who was among the speakers in the day that followed the Colloquium meeting, presented the local church, marked by major commitments in the realms of education and social assistance. “The State has opened the door – the bishop said – and the new government has encouraged us to carry out our commitment. In addition to those already functioning we intend to open ten schools, four old-age homes and small boarding homes for the orphans, in addition to five university campuses”. Out of 6 million Catholics living in Hungary 300 000 are Greek-Catholics. In addition to the dioceses of Hajdúdorog there is also the exarchate of Miskolc, which this year is finally served by a new exarch, as the post had been vacated in 1950. There are a total of 179 parishes, 216 priests and 55 seminarians. In the country, during the communist period, the Greek-Catholic churches were not shut down. However, their properties and structures were confiscated by the State. “We had hoped that after Communism – underlined bishop Kocsis – we would have enjoyed full liberty. Instead, political changes came about but the population has remained bound to the ideas of liberalism and consumerism, that influence our society”. Msgr. Kocsis added that in this new context parishes should act as a “flame of hope”.Spiritual transparency. On the same day, a clear picture of the “Western” churches’ situation was provided by Fr Hubert Windisch, professor of Pastoral theology at the University of Freiburg, Germany, for whom “in the parishes of central and northern Europe now we are ‘foreigners’ just like the Christians of the origins” and “we must ask ourselves what our task is” and how “we can show our adherence to Christ”. According to the theologian, a large number of European countries are experiencing the “ongoing fall” of Christianity both in terms of “quality and quantity”. In this framework the parishes and the faithful in the congregations “can voice the hopes they cherish” by acting like a “monstrance”, namely, by adopting an approach marked by “spiritual transparency”. Thus “new pastoral model” must be developed for the future of the Western Church, marked by “modesty, gentleness and respect”, and “without fears”.A new grammar. The new pastoral care “necessitates a language, a more consistent ‘grammar’ to communicate the Gospel” underlined Fr Luca Bressan, professor of Pastoral Theology at the archbishopric’s seminary in Milan, who coordinated the day’s meeting. The priest pointed out that “parishes today still serve as areas for encounter and dialogue, providing hospitality to the poor. If we manage to communicate our faith among ourselves we will be capable of producing hope and thrust for the future”.