After the usual mid-winter slowdown the big meetings have begun again. Over the past two weeks, more than 3,000 young people have passed through Taizé, most of them young French and Portuguese students. The largest groups were from Toulouse, Saint Denis, north of Paris, and Lyon in France, Viseu and Santarem in Portugal. The bishops of Angers, Rodez and Saint-Denis also came along to accompany the young people. Other countries were also well represented, including the Czech Republic, Korea and the USA, with a group of thirty teenagers from New York.

On the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18, a prayer was held in Taizé, in the Church of Reconciliation, in the presence of the Bishop of Autun and the reformed pastor of Chalon-sur-Saône. As this year the theme for the week was prepared by Christians from Brazil, two brothers who have spent time living there led a meeting on the life of the fraternity in Alagoinhas.

Two weeks later, at the end of the annual Community Council, the brothers spent a beautiful afternoon in Chalon-sur-Saône, with a prayer in one of the parishes of the town and a visit to the Muslim community. This meeting was particularly important after the tragic events of the beginning of the year in Paris - to experience the warm welcome of the Imam and other members of the community gathered there on that Saturday afternoon.

Pastor Laurent Schlumberger, President of the United Protestant Church of France, was recently in Taizé for a short personal visit. He led a meeting with some of the young people about the consequences of the recent tragic events in Paris. Robin, a young person from France gives his reaction to the workshop:

The tragic events in Paris affect us as people, believers and Christians. Our discussion reflected and raised several questions. As people we are shocked by such violence and fear. As believers, we stand in complete solidarity with all Muslims who do not recognize themselves in these acts and who seek, through the witness of their lives, to show that God is love. Finally, as Christians, we have a special sensitivity to questions of profanity and caricature. Jesus himself caricatured society through his parables, and was tried and sentenced to death for blasphemy because "he claimed to be the Son of God" (John 19:7).

 

Following the large gatherings of January 11, we can see beyond the defence of our freedoms of expression, to a desire for unity and dialogue. In a society in need of signposts and distraught by the violence, don’t Christians have a role to play? Do we dare to talk not only to those close to us, but also with members of Muslim communities around us?

In his speech, Pope Francis spoke about the search for full communion between the Churches and cited three "voices" calling particularly for unity: the poor, victims of conflict and young people. Speaking about the latter, he added:

It is precisely the young who today implore us to make progress towards full communion. I think for example of the many Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant youth who come together at meetings organized by the Taizé community. They do not do this because they are not aware of the differences which still separate us, but because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace what is really important and what already unites us.

The complete text is available in several languages.

The next international gathering led by Taizé will take place at the end of this year, with the participation of young Christians from throughout Europe, in Prague (Czech Republic), from December 29 to January 2, 2015.

Brother Alois was in Canterbury on 21st March for the enthronement of the new Archbishop, Justin Welby. The next day he had the opportunity to greet him personally.

Archbishop Justin Welby and brother Alois, 22 March 2013
©Picture Partnership/Lambeth Palace

During his sermon the Archbishop said that the church continues to have the power to transform society. Preaching to 2,000 people inside the cathedral and millions more watching and listening around the world, he spoke about how fear imprisons us and stops us from being fully human. Drawing on the story of Christ beckoning the disciples to walk on stormy waters, he recalled Jesus’ words: "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."

Archbishop Justin said that "our response to these words sets the pattern of our lives, for the church, for the whole of society."

Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé, writes

In Rome, in St. Peter’s Square, in the middle of the huge crowd of Romans and pilgrims from many countries, I was very happy about the first words of Pope Francis. We were expecting something new from this election and it happened. The origin of this first pope, come "from the ends of the earth," expresses the universal dimension of the Church. The name he chose evokes the joy and love of the poor that inspired Francis of Assisi and which, until now, have been at the heart of his life in Argentina.

 

He draws from the faith of Latin American Christians his vision of the relationship between the people and their bishop. "Let us set out on this road: the bishop and his people," "a path of brotherhood, love, and trust between us," he said, emphasizing his mission as Bishop of Rome. Those who were present in the square were visibly impressed that the new pope, before blessing them, asked for their prayers, bowing down and maintaining a long silence.

 

By asking to pray for his predecessor, Benedict XVI, he brought together continuity and the promise of something new. With the whole crowd present to greet and welcome him, I was touched that he widened our attention to a worldwide dimension by saying: "Let us pray for the whole world so that a great brotherhood may arise."

With Pope Francis