Beyond good intentions

The Pope and the leaders of Christian churches in Europe have faith in the youth and expect them to be a message of “hope” to the world. Pope Benedict XVI sent messages of encouragement to the archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, and to 30 thousand young people from all over Europe who plan to attend the 32nd youth meeting animated by the Taizè community, scheduled for December 29-January 2 in Poznan, Poland. From Portugal to Russia, from Sweden to Croatia, all European countries are due to be represented. The Taizè European meetings have been ongoing since 1978. They took place in Paris, Barcelona, London, Rome as well as in Prague, Budapest, Milan, and Brussels. The European meeting took place already three times in Poland, twice in Wroclaw (1989 and 1995), and once in Warsaw (1999). These meetings lie within what Fr. Roger, the founder of the community, called “the pilgrimage of faith on earth”. During this year’s meeting in Poland, the youth will be hosted in 150 parishes of the diocese of Poznan and Gniezno. In the afternoon they will convene in the city for common prayers and meetings centered on social and spiritual themes. The messages. “The Pope trusts you to go and meet men and women who have lost the sense of God, who seek uncertainly for Him, sometimes without realizing it. They need to encounter true witnesses, so that the face of Christ may shine for them. May God inspire the actions and words that will make accessible to others, when you return home to your countries, the hope that gives you life and the vitality that the Spirit wants to give to every human life!”, states the message of Benedict XVI. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrote: “We have seen how humanity is defaced and injured by false ideas of wealth, by false ideas of security, by false ideas of freedom. Our calling as Christians is to lay bare to the world truth of our human destiny”. This, adds Dr. Rowan Williams, is shown in “unrestrained generosity in meeting it, readiness for the danger and sacrifice that this brings, and above all, joy in undertaking such a path. Here is truth; here is humanity laid bare; here is life”. The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople Bartolomew I urges the youth “to be living witnesses of Christ born, witnesses of the Risen Christ, of a God present in history, of a God of creation. How can we bear this testimony? Christ himself says in the Gospel according to Saint John: ‘By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:35). Therefore, ‘do not fear’!” Also the president of the European Commission Manuel Barroso wrote a message to “the friends of Taizé” in which he underlines, “The city of Poznan and Poland, which were selected by the Taizé Community for your gathering this year, evoke two crucial dates in our history: the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, and the fall of the Iron Curtain in the autumn of 1989, which allowed the return of democracy to Central Europe and paved the way for the reunification of our continent”. The letter of Fr. Alois. The “Letter from China”, written by the prior of Taizè frère Alois which will be used as the basic text for meditation, is titled “In Every Human Being, a Longing”. Since “Whatever our culture, our age our history, we share a longing, a thirst for life in fullness”. Alois addresses himself to the youth:”And we must let the deepest of all longings awaken in us: the desire for God! It is true that it is not easy to keep alive the spirit of wonder and adoration, since our societies set such a high value on efficiency and doing things as quickly as possible. Yet during long silences where nothing seems to happen the Holy Spirit is at work within us, without o ur knowing how”. In the letter of Fr. Alois is rich (in the notes) of reference to social commitment, under different points of view and social action. He primarily refers to the economy: “A reworking of the global economic and financial system cannot come about without a change in the human heart: how can the foundations of a fairer system be laid as long as some continue to want to accumulate wealth at the expense of others?” Another action front is aimed at “greater justice on earth”. “There are still nine million children under the age of five who die each year, and 29% of the children who survive in underdeveloped countries are victims of malnutrition. This is totally unacceptable”. Finally, world peace. “Analyses and calls for promoting justice and peace abound. What is lacking is the motivation necessary to persevere beyond good intentions”.