A "counter-current" visit” “

An international theological conference at Schengen (23-25 March) and the arrival of the WYD Cross in Belgium are two of the many events that are accompanying preparations for World Youth Day (WYD) in Cologne in 2005. The Schengen meeting, which has as its theme the WYD slogan itself “We have come to worship him”, is aimed at contributing to the formation of those in charge of the youth ministry. The WYD Cross arrived in Belgium on 25 February and will remain there until 9 March: “more than a simple transit through Belgium, it may become for each of us an unforgettable moment in the pilgrimage of youth”, says the website of the portal for youth of the Belgian Episcopal Conference, which has organized for the occasion various events dedicated to the young. After Belgium the Cross will travel to Bulgaria (10-24 March) and then Bosnia-Herzegovina (25 March-2 April). (On WYD see also SIR nos. 8 and 10/2004). Germany “We have come to worship him” is not only the slogan of the next WYD: it’s also the title of an international theological conference that will be held at Schengen in Luxembourg from 23 to 25 March with the objective of proposing pastoral-theological and catechetical reflections on WYD in Cologne. “The Schengen conference is the result of cooperation between the youth apostolate (AFJ) of the German Bishops’ Conference and that of Euregio, which brings together youth ministry delegates in the dioceses of Trier, Aachen, Luxembourg, Liege, Metz and others. In this sense it is a European conference”, Father Michael Kühn, director of AFJ, told SIR. “The aim of the conference is to form and accompany the representatives of youth ministry in their preparation of young people for the WYD in Cologne”, added Kühn, who also stressed that the meeting has a “concrete basis”: in fact, “at the time of the presentation of the slogan of the 20th WYD, “We have come to worship him”, many saw in it the Pope’s intention to promote eucharistic adoration. The question is a far wider and more compelling one that may be imagined at first sight”, says Kühn, who has expressed the organizers’ intention to “treat the theme in a wider manner and show the possibilities of realizing it in the youth ministry” with a view to “ensuring sound and fruitful preparation”. To this end, the work of the conference is divided into four phases: “the biblical-exegetical part”, assigned to Bishop Marc Stenger of Troyes with the aim of “showing the background of the story of the Magi and their insertion in biblical contexts”; “the theological part”, assigned to Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, wholly focused on worship as the fundamental attitude of man before God; the third part, devoted to the dimension of religious education and catechesis, assigned to Petria Malone from Ireland, on “methods and practical access to the theme”; and the fourth part, relating to the spiritual impulse, assigned to Father Willi Lambert from Munich, and described as “a small spiritual contribution, aimed at helping the participants to spiritually prepare for Cologne”. Belgium “The best way to begin Lent”: with these words, assigned to their website, the youth of the youth ministry of the Belgian Episcopal Conference welcomed the arrival of the WYD Cross in Liege on 25 February, as part of Ash Wednesday celebrations. “In some sense – says the website JeunesCatho.org – the arrival of the Cross in Belgium may be seen as a ‘counter-current’ WYD. Welcoming this symbol of God’s love that the young carry throughout the world could not have been a better way of starting Lent”. Various events are being promoted by the bishops of Belgium to accompany it: on 29 February the Cross was in Brussels, where a mass was celebrated for the young. On 3 March, the Cross made its way through Louvain in a procession accompanied with music and singing, followed by a mass, a multicultural dinner, and a prayer vigil. An evening dedicated to songs, prayers and sharing will be held in Namur on 4 March, while on 6/7 March the Cross will return to Brussels. The various events being planned include celebrations for the young and a prayer evening with a vigil round the Cross.