"Brussels has a European vocation. People come from across Europe for meetings, for conventions, for the Parliament, for the European Commission. Nevertheless, there is one sector of our society which has not come, not yet: the youth." With these words Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of Brussels-Malines, explained yesterday in a press conference the reasons why he had decided to invite the Taizé Community in his city this year from 29 December to 2 January for the annual European youth meeting. "If we are proud, and we are," added the Archbishop "of being the capital of Europe, we have to answer this vocation and be the meeting point for young people of all Europe." Of the 40 thousand young people who are expected to attend the meeting, 30 thousand are coming from other nations. The appeal which had been launched last 20 November to find an accommodation for the different groups has raised in Brussels families "a wave of generosity." The representatives of other Christian Churches have also spoken at the press conference. The president of the United Protestant Church in Belgium (EPUB) said the European meeting of Taizé has given "new impulse to the co-operation between Churches" and cited the example of Malines where Catholic and Protestant Churches are working together to welcome the youth." ” ” ” ” ” “
