Christians are not lost

Berlin, a “secularized” yet “welcoming” city; the experience of ecumenism and the importance of “Christian values” of Europe at a time of crisis: these some of the themes addressed by the Archbishop of Berlin, Msgr. Rainer Maria Woelki, interviewed by Simona Mengascini, SIR Europe correspondent in Berlin, in the framework of the European Youth Meeting organized by the Taizé, community, ongoing in the German capital city. Msgr. Woelki has served as the pastor of the Catholic diocese of Berlin for only four months. He received the Pope in September, during the Holy Father’s visitation to Germany. He is a “young” bishop, as regards his age, 54, and for his previous offices: pastor of the diocese in Cologne for eight years, which in 2005 hosted the World Youth Day. Unity and peace. The pastor noted that “Berlin is a secularised city” but “the presence of so many young people and youth from different nations, who come here together to live their faith, is a significant sign of unity and solidarity. This meeting means that many youths are preparing to live their lives in the direction of faith. For Christians in Berlin the meeting is a sign of encouragement”. Msgr. Woelki, in his reflection on Benedict XVI’s message for the 45th World Peace Day, celebrated past January 1st, remarked that “Berlin has been a divided city for many years. The experience of Taizé brings a message of peace: many people from different countries come together to jointly listen to the word of God and in this word they perceive unity, an experience that educates to peace”. A presence “important as never before”. The meeting in Berlin once more confirmed the positive cooperation among the Christian Churches of the German capital: “In Berlin – the Archbishop said – there is an ecumenical council consisting of 30 Christian communities which by tradition are marked by mutual friendly relations as perceived in the preparations for the event. Our cooperation with the brothers of the Taize’ community bore positive fruits, we jointly organized the press conferences, whose major aim was to encourage Christian citizens of Berlin to host the youth in their homes”. In fact “many young people were hosted in the family and I received only positive feedback, from participants and from the hosting families alike. I perceived much affection and openness on both sides. Also the city, in the person of the mayor, opened its doors with a warm welcome”. Msgr. Woelki said he believes that “Christians’ presence in Europe is important today as never before. Our continent is rooted in Jewish-Christian foundations that deeply influenced its development. Although with time Europe grew increasingly open to other religions, it would be wrong to say that Christian presence is waning. It is precisely Christian formation that can help take certain decisions: for example, ensuring a welcoming Europe towards those fleeing from their home countries because of armed conflicts or for other serious problems. Solidarity and subsidiarity are important and topical Christian values, especially given the ongoing circumstances”. Giving Europe a “face”. On his part, the Lutheran bishop of Berlin, Markus Dröge, underlined to SIR Europe that “the theme of ‘trust’ is very important at a time of ongoing crisis marked by a multifaceted situation affected by the debt crisis in Europe, climate changes, the inequalities between rich and poor countries, and, in our country, the shocking discovery that surfaced in the past months, regarding the presence of well-organized neo-Nazi groups ready for action. In this framework the meeting of Taizé provides a vision of hope, promotes the quest for the truth and solidarity and enables the youth who participate to understand that all of these problems can be addressed together”. Msgr. Dröge highlighted the special ongoing cooperation between Christian Churches and pointed out that “the invitation for the meeting of Taizé was the result of the joint initiative taken by myself and by the Catholic archbishop of the city”. “Together we are certainly stronger – he underlined -19% of the population in Berlin are Protestant, 9% Catholic and 7% Muslim. Cooperation between the Churches is ongoing with special emphasis to the dialogue with the Muslims”. For the pastor, one of the “strong reasons” of the Taizé meeting has been, to a certain extent, the yearning to “give Europe ‘a face'”. Many young people together from different Countries contribute to the Continent’s future since they signal also the need for spirituality in our societies. But if on the one hand it is necessary to recover the spiritual roots across all countries of Europe, on the other it’s important to cultivate the dialogue with other religions, for example with the large Muslims population present in the European Continent and with political initiatives”.