ecumenism" "
Some thirty Christian movements participated in the “Christian Assizes on Globalization” (ACM) in Lyon last week. The ACM was founded a year ago with the aim of proposing to Western society means and methods to “humanise” the world’s trend towards globalization. Eight Christian associations and movements form part of the ASM. They include the Social Commission of the French Episcopal Conference, Caritas, the Catholic Committee against famine and the Protestant Federation. Some forty regional meetings were held in 2003; their reflections were brought together in a “green paper”. The work will continue throughout 2004 and lead in 2005 to the presentation of a “white paper” and the diffusion of a joint declaration of the Churches on globalization. In the meeting in Lyon, the 200 representatives of the Christian movements reflected together on a series of questions: how to reconcile the burden of immigration with the gospel commandment of hospitality towards strangers, concerns about national security and the construction of peace. The diversity of the participants made the debate extremely lively. “Our ambition said Jérôme Vignon, chairman of the ACM is to bring a strong, clear, and stimulating message to Christians and to the society that surrounds us. We denounce a market-driven society in which everything is bought. We denounce globalization when, in spite of all efforts, it fails to foster all countries and even brings whole continents to their knees… But there can be no denunciation without a message of hope”. The Christian organizations appeal for the rediscovery of the value of “gift”: of giving without any thought of a return.
