“Brussels-All Saints” (Bruxelles-Toussaint 2006), the civic mission being promoted by the Archbishop of the Belgian capital, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, will be held from 28 October to 5 November. It’s a continuation of those already held in Vienna (2003), Paris (2004) and Lisbon (2005). The aim of the mission, which has as its slogan the gospel words “Come and see”, is “to strengthen the identity of the Christians of Brussels. “During this week – writes the cardinal – we will open the doors of our churches, go out into the city and say whom we are. Without pretensions and without imposing ourselves we will try to bear witness to our faith. We don’t want to sanctify the city but humanise it”. The intention of the organizers is that parishes, movements and other church groups should actively support the event. An important role will be entrusted to youth for whom a special programme of events is being planned. A series of talks is also on the programme, on the theme of service (Andrea Riccardi, founder of the St. Egidio Community), proclamation (Timothy Radcliffe, superior of the Dominicans), celebration (Nicolas Buttet, moderator of the ‘Eucharistein’ Community) and prayer (Enzo Bianchi, prior of the Bose Community). Maggy Barankiste, a lady from Burundi who spared no effort to save the lives of thousands of children from genocide, will bring her testimony. A foretaste of the mission will be a meeting on culture and religion at Etterbeek on 11 October. Journalist Jean-Marie Cavada will interview Cardinal Danneels, Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna, and Archbishop Vingt-Trois of Paris.
