Good news

“Politics, a commitment for faith”. This was the title of the meeting held August 24-31 in Venice attended by some thirty young people aged 20-35 from six different Countries. A week later, on September 7, during his apostolic visit to Cagliari, the Pope called upon the youth to “evangelize the working environments, along with the realms of economy and politics which require the endeavor of a new generation of lay committed Christians that will employ their rigor and skills to identify sustainable development solutions”. The meeting of European youth promoted by the Heinrich Pesch Haus, the “Catholic Academy of the Reno-Neckar region [Katholische Akademie Rhein-Neckar]”, in cooperation with Jesuit formation institutes in Europe. The seminar is addressed to youth already involved in the political sphere, who intend to engage in this field or in social work. The purpose of the Congress is to encourage public debate between Irish, Belgian, French, Polish and Italian participants focusing on their political commitment and on the role played by faith in these circumstances. A lively exchange of ideas enriched the debate and promoted further insight. Conferences on the history of secularization and on the creation of the Nation-State provided the theoretical backgrounds. An introduction to Christian social ethics animated the discussion. Spiritual contributions such as collective prayers, religious meditations and workshops on the Holy Scriptures set the basis of the event’s daily schedule enabling inner reflection and silence along with constructive communication. Father Tobias Karcher SJ, chief organizer of the event, underlined the characteristics of the seminar: “We didn’t merely wish to pass on information or engage in theoretical remarks on the relationship between faith and politics. In fact, the purpose was to enable participants to intervene directly through a personal examination process. With the same approach marking a political commitment that is rooted in faith”. The meeting in Venice is the European version of the French session denominated “Politics, good news”, which has been held at two-year intervals over the last ten years at La Baume les Aix (Provence) on the initiative of the French Jesuits of the “Centre of Study and Research in Social Action” (CERAS) in Paris, to confront young Christians with the need for political involvement. Recently the idea has emerged of organizing a similar session at the European level, also every two years; the first was held in Venice in 2006.The peak moment was reached with the contribution of politicians who are inspired by their Catholic faith in performing their daily assignments. Such is the case of Pavel Fischer, Czech ambassador in Paris, who shared with the audience his experience of living spirituality in his political daily life. Eva Lohse, mayor of Ludwigshafen (Germany), related her personal evolution. Her contribution greatly encouraged women participants to engage in political life, since in many Countries reconciling politics and the family is still hard to implement, while anti-women prejudice is hard to die. Participants equally addressed the European question. The international framework provided the opportunity to treasure the experiences and the traditions of other nations, enabling a review of individual stands. The lively debates regarding social European policies, migration, European identity along with Ireland’s “no” vote to the Lisbon Treaty, led participants to develop common views thus engaging in a first-hand experience of Communal European action. Finally, MEP Kurt Lechner, who addressed the political events in Brussels during a lively debate session, asked stimulating questions. Upon the seminar’s conclusion, participants agreed they had lived an intense European experience. They said they understood that Christian faith exhorts to engage in political and social commitments. Hence, as declared by F. Karcher: “The Gospel exhorts us onto taking the world’s responsibility on ourselves”.