“The mission of the lay members of the Church is to create a new Europe. If we enter Europe, it is to bring our faith and our values”: so said Msgr. Peter Stefan Zurbriggen, Nuncio Apostolic in the Baltic States, in addressing the 1st Conference of the Catholic laity in Latvia, which ended a few days ago. The conference was attended by the representatives of 120 Catholic parishes and associations in Latvia. The main priorities urged by the delegates included that of “improving the quality of the spiritual and real life of the community as a whole and of each of its members”. The participants described their own experiences. They specified the problems they encounter in organizing the various activities and identified forms of cooperation to resolve them. Returning to the question of Latvia’s entry into the EU, the bishop of the diocese of Jelgava, Msgr. Antons Justs, said that “Latvia will not only draw benefits from it, but also has much to offer”. In particular, “ecumenism in Latvia could set an example for the whole of Europe. Cooperation is taking place at various levels between Christians, bishops, parishes and faithful”. Victor Khulj, editor of ‘The Light of the Gospel’, a Catholic Russian-language paper, adds: “Christians must be courageous in confirming their own faith. We are witnessing the phenomenon of dechristianization in Europe. We are called to contribute to Europe’s return to her Christian roots”.
