At the sources of our faith” “

“Without the light coming from the source of all light, the problems we will encounter on our way will remain shrouded in obscurity and become insurmountable stumbling blocks”. So declare the Christian Churches in Europe in a joint declaration published to present the theme chosen for this year’s Prayer Week for Christian Unity: “In you is the source of life” (Psalm 36: 6-10), which will be held from 18 to 25 January. The theme was chosen by a select committee composed of representatives of the CCEE (Council of the European Episcopal Conferences) and KEK (Conference of the Churches of Europe). “At the end – says Msgr. Aldo Giordano , CCEE secretary general – we accepted the proposal of a pastor from Romania, suggesting the idea of the source, the fountain-head, that is expressed in the passage from Psalms, urging Christians to return to the sources of their faith. An appeal that seemed to us truly the only way of identifying a common perspective we could all share”. Is the return to the origins prompted by the need not to admit the difficulties of ecumenical dialogue? “We wish to return to the source of our faith to reaffirm our conviction that, if we do not start out from the roots, we will never have sufficient elements to illuminate and resolve all the problems we encounter on the way of dialogue between the Churches. The time has come, in other words, for the path of reconciliation also to go deeper”. What response is asked of Christians by the ever more numerous presence of other religions in European cities? “I have just come back from a journey to Nepal where I had the opportunity to experience what it means to live as Christians in a context of absolute minority. There you realize that almost two-thirds of mankind don’t know anything about Christianity, and you ask yourself what is means to be a source and leaven of new life for humanity. I believe that here too, in Europe, we must place ourselves in this same perspective: we have received a gift that is destined for the whole of humanity”. Are Christians ready to give this witness together? “I believe that there are signs pointing in this direction. And they are signs that lead us to leave behind us the more superfluous things and concentrate on what is essential”. Has ecumenism changed after 11 September? “Certainly we feel a greater sense of responsibility. The events of 11 September tell us how interdependent we are, and how responsible for each other. In the ecumenical field, there are those who rightly wish to rediscover their own roots and their own identity. But a deep responsibility for the wider world can also be felt. I believe that what happened in New York and Washington had the effect of reminding Christians of the responsibility they have for our planet. So if the outlook asked of the Christian is a global one, we cannot remain too enclosed within ourselves”. Will the Prayer Week for Christian Unity also be different this year? “Probably it will be more characterized by a greater sense of responsibility: the responsibility of making progress in reconciliation and being authentic witnesses of the Gospel. We are confronted by world history and its risks, and as Christians we have the responsibility to join together in bringing the Word of God to the world. In this sense I think the Week will be different this year”. On 24 January the leaders of the various religions will meet together at Assisi. Are the dates only a coincidence? “If Christians feel that it is their responsibility to bring the Gospel to the world, they also feel that it is their duty to initiate a dialogue with all believers in God. It is the responsibility that all human beings feel in response to history and the responsibility of not betraying the name of God”. Maria Chiara Biagioni