Beyond the confines” “

There were some 70,000 in the Almend park, near Bern, to attend the mass celebrated by the Pope on Sunday 6 June. A number that astonished the various commentators in the Swiss press. Coming from every canton, the young gathered round the Pope, and together with them there were also Italians, Poles, French, Germans, Spaniards… But how do the Swiss feel about living in Europe without forming part of it? We sounded out some views. “Switzerland is a very rich country where there is an affluence that may lead the young to be submerged by material things and to feel the need for a deeper spirituality. I have had other experiences of meetings that have enabled me to get to know Europe better: the Union is fundamental not only at the economic level but also for all the values that must acknowledge their roots in Christianity”. ( Rudi Palmieri, student in Sciences of Communication, who wrote the official anthem of the meeting). “Culture in the various cantons is very different and far from uniform: what keeps us together are our deep Christian values, although not the whole of Switzerland is Catholic. I hope that one day we will be united. Undoubtedly there will be disadvantages in joining united Europe, but it’s bad to feel oneself regarded as a kind of ‘outsider country’, isolated from the rest of Europe. Some Swiss, moreover, fear that, if we join the European Union, the divisions between the cantons will actually grow stronger; even now the differences are palpable, especially between the North and South of Switzerland”. ( Gioia Severoni, student, Lugano) “May Switzerland continue to praise the Lord with one voice, and may it always be the voice of Christ! May Switzerland be more united in its values! Today we live in a country divided between those who would like to join the 25-member Europe and those who prefer to maintain our own national identity. I think that a meeting of the ways is possible, but not on the road of those who tell us all to be the same. Courage is needed to be proud of our differences: we should not level ourselves into uniformity, but help each other to deepen our roots. I think that Switzerland is making great progress: at times I think that Europe is too closed in on itself, because it turns its back on so many parts of the world; the same goes for Switzerland, despite its long tradition of being hospitable to foreigners. We need to wait for the right moment to take important decisions, but we also need to risk taking the plunge and joining the European Union'”. ( Francesca Bentoglio, Bern) “A great effort of unity and communion has been made by people of different cultures and nationalities to share what is the greatest of all differences: the person of Christ. At the same time, the sharing of the faith must also consider the other Christian churches and that’s why ecumenical references were not absent from this meeting of Catholic youth. The Pope’s greetings to the Lutherans, and the presence of the chairman of the Synod of the Reformed Churches, Samuel Lutz, opened the confines of dialogue” ( Cristina Vonzun, delegate for youth apostolate in the diocese of Lugano) wish for europe. Monica, a schoolteacher from the French-speaking Canton says: “I and others of my own age are rather sympathetic to the prospect of joining the European Union; as Swiss citizens we feel a bit cut off! In spite of appearances, the divisions between the various confessions in Switzerland are not strongly felt, because in effect we succeed in communicating well. The first national meeting of Catholic youth was for us a unique event, also in view of the current cultural and historical moment; the fact that the Pope came to Bern gives us the strength and the vigour to bear witness to unity”. Silvia, from the Bümpliz quarter of Bern, expresses the desire to enter the European Union: “after John Paul II’s appeal to us to rise up and take the road of unity, the wish to share this road also with other European youth has been born”. Giuseppe, a 40-year-old immigrant from Foggia, lives and works in Switzerland as a travelling salesman, but assumed the role of volunteer for the two-day meeting in Bern, and confesses his esteem for the Pope. “The first time I saw him was at the beatification of Padre Pio. In Switzerland I feel at home, but speaking of Europe I find it somewhat banal that she should remain outside. Most of the country is Catholic, but it’s taboo to touch on the subject: people are afraid to bear witness to their own faith in public. We need to be more open!”.