The next European youth meeting animated by the Taizé Community will be held in Hamburg from 29 December to 2 January. A dozen Taizé brothers and some fifteen young people of various nationality have already arrived in the German city to continue the preparations for the meeting in over 200 parishes of various confessions. Six bishops, both Protestant and Catholic, of Hamburg and its surrounding region have together written a letter to all the parishes to encourage them to provide accommodation to the thousands of youngsters who will come to the event from all over Europe, East and West. The Church leaders write: “They will give a sign of hope and encouragement to a world in which many are seeking a meaning that may support them in their life. Let’s give them a warm welcome!”. In a pastoral letter, the Catholic bishop of Hamburg, Msgr. Werner Thissen, has recurred to a sentence from the Bible quoted by frère Roger (founder of Taizé) in his last letter to the young: “Abandon your sorrow, let God lead you to joy”. “Meeting young people coming from all over the world in a pilgrimage of faith to Hamburg may lead to joy writes Bishop Thissen . Listening together and responding to the Word of God may lead to joy. And the experience of being united before God, beyond the frontiers that separate us, may lead to joy”. The detailed programme of the meeting will be available in mid-December.
