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TAIZÉ

Europe 2005-2010

Bulgaria: 2010: Welcomed as long lost friends

At the end of October two of the brothers visited Bulgaria. It was the first visit for 4 years and it really did feel like we were being welcomed as long lost friends. We were very much expected – only an hour after arriving in Sofia we were already being interviewed by two TV news reporters! We met friends of the community that we’ve known for many years and also many people that were hearing of the community for the first time. In the 1990s a lot of Bulgarians came to Taizé and to the (...)

15 November 2010
Pilgrimage of trust in Norway: Weekend meeting in Oslo and Trondheim

At the invitation of the Norges Kristne Råd, the “Christian Council of Norway”, a stage of the pilgrimage of trust on earth is being held in Norway this weekend, from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 September 2010. Sigrid is from Denmark and was in Norway to take part in the meeting. Helene, from Oslo, was in Trondheim for the meeting. Friday evening I arrived in Oslo early (...)

30 September 2010
Denmark: Visits in May 2010

What do you know about Denmark?Butter and bacon come from there!Do you know any famous Danes?Hans Christian Andersen and Kierkegaard where writers who lived there!Geographical position?It’s squeezed between two big neighbours, Sweden and Germany.History?Didn’t they used to be Vikings?Something in the news?Wasn’t there some controversy about freedom of speech and a caricature in a newspaper?And the church in Denmark?In general, Danes are not very religious (at least on the outside), and church (...)

1 June 2010
Malta: “A silent cry that no one hears”

For the first time for several years, a Taizé brother has visited Christians on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Here is an account of his journey.The Christian identity of this very religious people is closely linked to an event mentioned in the Book of Acts (28. 1-10): the Apostle Paul is shipwrecked at Malta on his way to Rome, as a prisoner. Today the island knows other people who are shipwrecked! And in a certain way, they too are prisoners. Thousands of refugees from the south of the (...)

5 March 2010
Hungary Octobre 2009: Meeting in Pécs, October 2009

From 22nd - 25th October, a meeting brought together several thousand young adults in Pécs, South Western Hungary. Young people from across Hungary as well as from the neighbouring countries and even further afield came to spend 3 days celebrating being together in prayer and reflection. Building a Meeting A baroque town hall, an imposing neo-romanesque Cathedral and (...)

9 November 2009
Present day Greece: a land of contrasts

In May 2009, one of the brothers made a series of visits in Greece. On his return to Taizé, he wrote:In a rural area in the North of the country, the parish priests attend continuing education classes. They are between thirty and sixty years old. Since it is already hot at 3 o’clock on a May afternoon, the liturgy class – led by a professor from Thessalonica who is much younger than most of his students - has been moved out from the classroom to the arbour in front of the school, with a view (...)

27 May 2009
Spain: Meeting in Seville: May 2009

The meeting in Seville took place from 8 to 10 May 2009 and brought together over 2000 young adults of whom several hundred came from Portugal. Some of those who took part, including Ignacio from Seville and Marta from Portugal, share some of their experiences."Living the unexpected" “Many of us had dreamed for a long time of having a meeting led by Taizé in Andalusia. (...)

15 May 2009
Lithuania: Meeting in Vilnius in May 2009

A future of peace is possible From May 1-3, 2009, 8 000 young people attended the meeting organized in the capital of Lithuania by the Community of Taizé in collaboration with the youth centre of the archdiocese. More than three years ago, the brothers had been invited to hold a stage in the pilgrimage of trust on earth there, at the initiative of Cardinal Backis. In his words of welcome, he stressed: “I think that jubilant Vilnius, thanks to you and your presence, will show its hospitality.” (...)

4 May 2009
In Latvia and Estonia: 2008

It’s been several years since a brother of the community has visited Latvia and Estonia. During that time, young people from these countries have continued to take part in the gatherings in Taizé and the European meetings. More and more are travelling individually. Earlier many came with groups from their parishes. Perhaps this mirrors changes in church life? A weekend in Riga gave the opportunity to bring together young people from different church traditions for prayer and Bible reflection. (...)

2 December 2008
Romania: Brother Alois’ visit in May 2008

In May 2008 Brother Alois, accompanied by another brother of the community, visited Romania, at the invitation of the leaders of the churches.Every summer since the end of the communist regime, thousands of young people from Romania have been to spend a week in Taizé or to the European Meetings. The fact that so many young people come from a predominantly Orthodox country brings a special richness to the gatherings in Taizé. The Romanians are the only Orthodox who speak a romance language. (...)

13 June 2008
Russia: Brother Alois in Moscow in 2006

Brother Alois, accompanied by two other brothers, was in Moscow from 28 May to 2 June. He was eager to go there to express to Patriarch Alexis II the Taizé Community’s desire to continue on its way in great closeness and in deep trust with the Russian Orthodox Church. He expressed it, “Brother Roger opened up a way and we want to continue in his footsteps. The Russian Orthodox Church had a special place in his heart. He had infinite respect for it because of all the trials it has come through, (...)

12 June 2008
In Spain: 2008

A brother was in Spain in April 2008I spent ten days making visits in Spain. For the first three days I was in Madrid. Then I went North, stopping in Valladolid, Burgos, Vitoria, Bilbao, Santander, Oviedo and finally, on the way back, in Segovia. In spite of the rain and the cold, the welcome, as so often in Spain, was very warm. In Madrid I met groups who have been praying with great faithfulness for a very long time. The first evening, I went to a parish in the south of the city. The (...)

9 May 2008
Albania: “Visits from abroad”

A brother of the community recently went to Albania. This ten day journey was a chance to visit groups of young people who had come together for a weekend of prayer and meeting, in November 2007, in the capital, Tirana.Visits from abroad are rare in this country which remained very isolated, until the end of the 1980s, under a very hard communist regime, where all religious practice was completely forbidden. As a result, the visitor is welcomed more warmly and often hears the question: “How (...)

6 May 2008
In Greece and the Republic of Macedonia

At the end of January two of the brothers attended the funeral of Mgr Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece. He knew Brother Roger well and followed closely what was happening at Taizé. One of the brothers went back to Greece at the beginning of April for a longer visit. He had a meeting with a young collaborator of the new archbishop, Mgr Ieronimos, to discuss possibilities of future contacts and exchanges with the Orthodox Church of Greece. Meetings with young people took (...)

23 April 2008
Russia: A visit in November 2007

A recent journey to Russia led the brothers to Moscow, Siberia and Saint Petersburg “You are lucky: the snow has arrived in time to welcome you. Everything is clean and bright – for us, the first snow is always a joy!” After two hours of traffic jams, I meet again in Chtchoukinskaya the hospitality of Olga, Micha and Katia. In their district, the buildings of the Sixties, still proud behind their curtain of silver birches, are gradually being demolished and replaced by (...)

12 February 2008
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Taizé

In 1986, two young people, one from Sarajevo and the other from Mostar, hitchhiked their way to Taizé. At the end of July this year (2007), 180 young people from Bosnia-Herzegovina spent a week at Taizé. For more than twenty years, young people from this hard hit country have taken part in meetings each year, either at Taizé or in European cities. This year, they came from various towns: Sarajevo, Livno, Kiseljak, Banja Luka, Ljubuski … and, above all, from Mostar. The Bishop of Mostar wrote a (...)

23 August 2007
Germany: In the North of Germany

“Choosing to love, choosing hope… God welcomes us as we are, with what is good, but also with our inner contradictions and even our faults.” These words from the “Letter from Kolkata” accompanied the visits a brother made recently in many places in the North of Germany. The international atmosphere in the youth meetings in Taizé and in the end of the year European meetings gives rise to hope. As they take part, the young people feel that they are not alone with their longing and that on every (...)

13 June 2007
Austria: A journey through Austria

In mid-April, one of the brothers made a journey through Austria; at each stop there were meetings with young adults.Vienna On the Sunday after Easter, young people from Vienna and the surrounding region gathered in the Jugendkirche, the “Youth Church”. Together with the team from the Jugendkirche, they had a time of reflection on the words of the disciples, “We have seen the Lord” (John 20.25). What does it mean when we say that Christ is alive among us as the Risen One? How can we meet Jesus (...)

26 May 2007
Sweden: 2007 Stockholm meeting day by day

The meeting in Stockholm took place from 3 to 6 May 2007. Here are some impressions, noted as as the meeting unfolded. Tuesday 1 May We’ve often been told that people in Sweden need to have everything planned well in advance. Tonight, as the first groups arrived for the meeting, we were shown how hollow that generalisation is. The 23 Croatians were asked to arrive, as planned, at the parish house of Sofia Church. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the flat of (...)

8 May 2007
Sweden: 2007 Meeting in Stockholm

Thousands take part in weekend of prayerChoosing to love, choosing hope On Sunday May 6, the youth meeting held in Stockholm and led by the Taizé Community, from France, on the theme “Choosing to love, choosing hope,” drew to its close. Beginning on Thursday May 3, the gathering brought together young people from 20 different countries including Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries and Finland and Scandinavia for a weekend of prayer and sharing. Over 2,000 people joined the (...)

7 May 2007
Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Part of South-Eastern Europe - Greece for some time, Bulgaria and Romania quite recently – now belongs to the European Union. Other countries in the region are still in a difficult or unstable situation. Wounds from the recent conflicts can still be felt. All of the countries in the region were represented at the young adult European meeting in Zagreb. It was a beautiful sign of how Christians are called to “live in communion beyond national borders” (Letter from Kolkata). Following the (...)

6 April 2007
UK: 2006: Prayers in Bradford Cathedral and Westminster Abbey

Bradford: Thursday 16 November 2006, evening prayer in Bradford CathedralLondon: Saturday 18 November 2006, evening prayer in Westminster Abbey, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Moderator of the Free Church Council, Rev. David Coffey, and Bishop Nathan of the Armenian ChurchBerlin: Sunday 19 November 2006, prayer at the Berliner Dom, with Dr Wolfgang Huber, Lutheran Bishop of Berlin and President of the Council of the Evangelical (...)

26 November 2006
Russia: A visit in October 2006

One of the brothers writes: In Russia, the economy continues to grow. The effects of the energy windfall are there for all to see. Most spectacular is the enormous activity in the construction industry and in public works: apartment buildings, private houses, motorways… Commerce is another flourishing sector: from the suburban supermarkets to the stalls improvised on the pavements, businesses are making brisk progress. The younger you are the more you can make money quickly. Road traffic is (...)

6 November 2006
Russia: In Moscow in 2006: Taizé’s gratefulness for the Russian Orthodox Church

During his visit to Moscow, Brother Alois handed over the following text to Patriarch Alexis II.Following Brother Roger’s death, it seemed to me essential to come to Moscow with two of our brothers during the first year of my new ministry, to express our community’s desire to continue on its way in great closeness and in profound confidence with the Holy Russian Orthodox Church. Brother Roger opened up this way for us and I want us, his brothers, to walk in his footsteps. It was in December (...)

10 June 2006
Denmark: “The great day of prayer"

“The great day of prayer" is a specifically Danish festival, on the 4th Friday after Easter Sunday. It was established in 1686 to replace several minor festivals of prayer and fasting. One of the brothers was in Denmark for the occasion.The five day visit was prepared by a young people’s group called “ecumenical youth”. Prayers, Bible introductions and meetings took place in five cities during the weekend during which all over the country people were celebrating “the great day of prayer”. Even (...)

3 June 2006
Ukraine 2006: Just before the elections

During a recent visit to Ukraine a brother saw the situation of the country and of the church there reflected in the weather! Heavy snowfalls and cold were succeeded by sudden warmer temperatures only to give way again to more winter-like conditions. Since the events of the "orange revolution" over a year ago there have also been advances followed by disappointments.Some people said it was unrealistic to expect big changes in such a short time while others clearly felt disappointed that (...)

9 April 2006