25 April" "
It’s the young who are the “main indicators of change”, and is from them that the Church “must start out to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in as credible a manner as possible, in a Europe undergoing profound transformations”. The point was made by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), on opening the proceedings of the 10th Symposium of European bishops, on the evening of 25 April. The symposium was held in Rome from 24 to 28 April on the theme: “Youth of Europe in a process of change. Laboratory of the faith”. Today, it seems to “be becoming increasingly difficult for the Church to perform her missionary mandate”, added the cardinal in the homily he gave during the Mass he officiated on the morning of 25 April. And yet, alongside the difficulties, “positive signs are not lacking”, such as “the strong desire for authenticity among young people, and for a form of brotherhood that has not only a personal but a universal dimension”. Hence the particular relevance of experiences such as those of the “civic mission” promoted by the diocese of Rome in the three years in preparation for the Jubilee. This is an ecclesial “life-style” that the Roman Church now “intends to become permanent”, Ruini announced, and that is already beginning to spread to other European capitals: on 4 May this year, in fact, similar initiatives will be simultaneously presented in the four dioceses of Paris, Brussels, Vienna and Lisbon. In his welcoming address, Msgr. Amédée Grab, president of the CCEE, recalled “the dramatic suffering of the Holy Land”, and called the Symposium “a great invocation to the God of peace, a sign of communion with the Christians and bishops who live in those countries and a contribution to reconciliation”. The 35 young delegates present at the Symposium chose the song “Volare” to introduce themselves; “led” by Chris, from Scotland, they launched brief messages of good wishes for the work of the Symposium from the four corners of Europe, and also promised to “deliver” to the 80 bishops present a final document of their own, which will be read out next Sunday.
