PhotosPope Benedict XVI
Dear young people,
The meeting that brings you together in Brussels this year at the invitation of the Taizé Community offers you an opportunity to ask yourselves this question: what is the source from which we draw life? You are searching for the source of a hope for yourselves and for the world by opening yourself to Christ through praying and listening to his Word, by sharing your aspirations with young people from throughout Europe and from other continents, by experiencing the Church as a place of communion and friendship for all.
The Pope feels close to you in your pilgrimage of trust on earth, launched years ago by dear Brother Roger. He is confident that you will discover how to communicate hope around you, by committing your lives in a world where there is too much poverty, injustice and conflict. God needs your faith, your creativity, your spirit of initiative. To respond to his call, he gives you the presence of his Spirit, who will renew your strength when you are tired or weary. Sustained by the Holy Spirit, do not be afraid to give an account of the hope that he places in you. Do not be afraid to let your hearts become larger.
In entrusting you to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of believers, His Holiness Benedict XVI grants an affectionate apostolic blessing, with all his heart, to you as well as to the brothers of Taizé, to all the people who have organized this pilgrimage, to the pastors and the faithful who are welcoming you, and to your families.
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
With great joy, we have learned that the Taizé Community has organized the 31st young adult European meeting in Brussels. We wish to congratulate you and all those who in any way have collaborated to make this meeting possible.
Living in a world where there is great confusion, a crisis of values, venerable institutions called into doubt, the collapse of ideologies, a denial of human dignity and a making-absolute of relative elements of this passing world (see 1 Cor 7:31), many young people are at an impasse and are often overwhelmed by despair. They are in need of help, which the Church must provide them with love. If the Church remains indifferent, "fearsome wolves" are ready to approach. So the initiative of the young adult European meeting that your Taizé Community has courageously undertaken for years now is worthy of all praise.
Based on the experience of the Orthodox Church, we wish to send participants in this year’s meeting a fervent invitation to live the mystery of the love of God in the Church. May they seek God by putting into practice his commandments expressed in the Gospel; may they share in the sacraments in which, according to Saint Nicolas Cabasilas "is expressed the Church", may they place their hand with confidence in the hand of Christ (that is what faith is, above all), and may they struggle, like the saints, age-old and recent, for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit that St. Seraphim of Sarov indicated as the main purpose of life. This will lead them "into the fullness of truth”, it will fill any existential vacuum, give full meaning to their lives and bear its fruit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, helpfulness, kindness, confidence in others, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5,22-23). The calendar of saints of the Orthodox Church contains the names of many young people who lived and acted in this way, and were fully justified in their hope. We invoke the prayers of these young saints on the dear participants in the meeting.
Praying for the success of your meeting, we send the love and blessing of the Holy Church of Christ at Constantinople, and we invoke upon the Taizé Community and the young people at the meeting the grace in abundance of the only Son and Word of God made flesh for us, our Lord Jesus Christ.
From Moscow
This year there is no message from Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow because he died suddenly on December 5th. Brother Alois and two other brothers went to Moscow for his funeral on December 9th, in order to express by their presence our deep communion with the Russian Orthodox Church in mourning.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams
As you meet in Brussels, I know that you will be thinking above all about trust, and looking for signs in your surroundings of a reality that can be trusted. Again and again we find in unexpected places that there is something beyond our fears and our imaginings – a depth of human understanding and solidarity that can amaze and inspire us.
And so often we find it in places and in people where defences and pretences have been stripped away: in people who have been stripped by poverty or by suffering to the point where their hearts seem to be laid bare; in people who have learned that they can only connect with others when they take off the armour of their status or security. In these different kinds of poverty of spirit, we find exactly what Jesus promised – that the Kingdom belongs to such people.
We who are used to security and have no doubts of our importance will learn this only slowly and painfully. As our comfortable western society comes to terms with the frightening new reality of widespread economic crisis, we can either try to build our defences still higher and to deny our vulnerability – or we can begin to discover what it might be to be truly poor in spirit.
Jesus Christ, says St Paul, made himself poor so that we might become rich; he threw away his safety and dignity so as to speak the language of real men and women, with the purpose of opening up in us a new depth of freedom and love. He set aside his divine transcendence so that he might fully share the world we live in and make it his own. We learn to trust him as we see that all he does and suffers is for our joy and healing.
So may this meeting increase that joy. As you renew your trust in the faithful, committed love of God in Jesus, remember that he has trusted you also: he has given you a share in his riches so that you may live in his strength, daily building more and more relations of trust with others.
I send you my love and blessings for a rich and challenging encounter and a blessed New Year.
The Secretary General of the World Lutheran Federation, Rev. Ishmael Noko
Dear Friends,
“…and while they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them…” Luke 24:15
On behalf of the Lutheran World Federation, I greet you, young adults, from Europe and other parts of the world. As in previous years, you have responded to the call of the Community of Taizé to gather this year in Brussels, the capital of Europe.
Our member churches throughout the world, and Lutheran World Federation youth in particular, accompany you in their thoughts as you embark on a “Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth”. Together with you, we are united in prayer asking for God’s grace.
This year, among other issues, your reflection will focus on technological and economic progress that go hand in hand with a greater sense of humanity. You will be seeking a deeper meaning to your existence and questioning the source of your being. In response to the present financial crisis, the Lutheran World Federation’s Executive Committee issued a pastoral message at its meeting this fall observing that “it was painful to note how quickly massive financial resources would be mobilized to prop up the financial markets and institution in this moment of crisis, when in much better economic times a fraction of those resources could not be found to eliminate extreme poverty around the world”. In the same message, it underscored the member churches’ obligation “to join with others in rebuilding trust in community creating forms of governance more responsive to the claims of justice and thus worthy of trust”.
With this message, I express the Lutheran World Federation’s solidarity and assure you that you are not alone. Your struggle for a better society is also our struggle. Your prayer is also our prayer. It is my hope that your prayer will be heard around the globe. May God bless you! May the Holy Spirit be with you as you gather in Brussels.
The Secretary General of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Dr Setri Nyomi
As young people gather in Brussels for this year’s Taizé event, we in the World Alliance of Reformed Churches greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We thank God for the meaningful work that the Taizé community has done and pray that this year also it will continue to have impact.
As our world faces even more challenging circumstances, we struggle to find paths of trust in our days. Suffering due to conflicts, poverty, disease and prejudice continue to plague the human family. This year, the acute food crisis experienced by many, and the on-going climate change crisis have been compounded by the crisis in the credit and financial markets to bring so much suffering and hardship.
It is within the context of these challenges that I greet you with a message of hope. The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two thousand years ago continues to give us hope for our times. God did not remain in heaven separated from our struggles. God came in love to be with human beings. Christmas brings that message powerfully to us. Following Jesus takes us on a path of trust in which we can become God’s instruments to transform our world and bring relief and hope to the many who are suffering. This is the hope that overcomes the litany of adverse situations in our world today.
May all the young people who have journeyed to Brussels find in the paths of Brussels, paths of trust in God for facing the challenges of our days.
May God bless you !
The Churches of Geneva
We experienced the stage of the pilgrimage of trust on earth that the Taizé Community and the young people of Europe enabled us to host in Geneva as a grace of the Holy Spirit. The Churches of Geneva wish to express their appreciation to the brothers, sisters and volunteers who made that meeting of hope possible.
Through you, the call to encounter Christ at the heart of our personal lives and our lives as Church resonated for us so that we could become witnesses at the heart of the world. We heard the call for reconciliation and the exchange of gifts as an opportunity for mutual enrichment by means of our confessional, cultural and generational differences.
Now that the pilgrimage of confidence is making a stop in Brussels, we extend our warm greetings to your community and, through it, to all young people in Europe.
We believe that the Kingdom of God is on the road when Churches unite to welcome the young, when Christians gather to listen to the Word of God, when believers take seriously their baptismal commitment, when God’s people meets its Lord in silence, song and the simplicity of prayer.
We hope that this testimony of unity by young people may give a new impetus to solidarity in our European societies. And most importantly, we express our deep communion in prayer and brotherhood in Jesus Christ!
Ms Monique Python, President of the Cantonal Synod of the Old Catholic Church
Bishop Pierre Farine, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church
Mr Georges Bolay, President of the Protestant Church
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon
I send warm greetings to all the participants in the Taizé Community’s 31st annual meeting. The presence each year of thousands of young people is clear evidence that the message of peace, which lies at the heart of your community, resonates widely.
You gather at a crucial time for the human community. We face a global financial crisis, a development emergency, food insecurity and accelerating climate change.
These issues are inextricably linked; solutions to each can and must be solutions to all. States, too, are more interdependent than ever, and cannot protect their interests or advance the well-being of their people without the partnership of the rest.
This is our new global reality. The Taizé community’s annual meetings are a wonderful opportunity to reflect on it. Your voices will be crucial in pressing world leaders to act with urgency, and with the global good foremost in mind.
Your pilgrimage can also help to foster harmony and cross-cultural understanding. At a time when extremist ideologies are on the rise and bigotry shows a dismaying persistence, the need for dialogue among religions, cultures and civilizations has never been greater.
At the end of your gathering, I hope you will return home strengthened from your interactions, and ready to assume leadership roles in your own communities.
Thank you again for your commitment to the United Nations, and most of all for your contributions to building a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The President of the European Commission, Mr José Manuel Barroso
This message exists also in video
I would like to begin by extending my warmest wishes to you, the thousands of young people who have come from all over Europe and other continents to participate in another European Meeting for young adults organised by the Taizé Community.
I am most grateful for Brother Alois’ invitation to join you in Brussels. Unfortunately, urgent commitments prevent me from being present, but I want to express the European Commission’s deep appreciation for this important initiative. And for this reason I insisted in receiving Brother Alois in my office in the European Commission Headquarters in order to convey to him personally this message of sympathy and encouragement.
This new action begun by the Taizé Community over thirty years ago is also a concrete way of celebrating the values of reconciliation and peace through dialogue. The fact that it is being held in Brussels takes on special significance at the end of this European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, held in the context of an expanded Europe "united in diversity" and open to the world.
The thousands of young people of different nationalities, cultures and religions that have come together in this European Meeting are the living expression of this culture of dialogue in a respect for diversity that is the hallmark of Europe.
It is therefore doubly gratifying for me – as President of the European Commission and on a personal level – to see so many young people here with so much enthusiasm for a better world and a closer union between peoples. I see this enthusiasm and spirit of openness as a sign of trust in the future and the ability of new generations to build a world that we want to pass on to future generations.
So that we can successfully craft a new world order by proposing – and not imposing – our principles, at this moment standards and fundamental values, European values, are particularly important. And Europeans, particularly the young generations, must take ownership of the European project and realise that it constitutes a step forward that is unprecedented in human history.
For most young Europeans, living in peace, democracy and freedom is part of the natural order of things today. This has not always been so, however, and we must not take it for granted with respect to the future. Preserving liberty and democracy where they exist, fighting for them where they do not exist, remains our common goal.
It is now up to the younger generations to struggle for Europe, for the defense of our values and our way of life, for it is in Europe that your future will be played out. By struggling for Europe you can tackle the worldwide challenges that only a united Europe is able to deal with, such as climate change, energy security or durable development.
Europe needs your active participation to defend and promote its common values and to reinforce the feeling of belonging to an entity born not just of politics and economics, but also of ethical values founded on the respect of human rights and human dignity.
I know that you, the young people of today, desire a world which is more ecological, more in solidarity and more just. That is why I want to encourage you to exercise an active citizenship so that the predominant role of Europe can be exercised for the good of the whole world and so that Europe may continue to be a space of hospitality, solidarity and openness where we can celebrate, all together, a permanent “festival of nations”.