Together with two other brothers, this trip enabled him to pray with young people in Lviv, Ternopil and Kyiv, and also to meet many witnesses of the suffering and courage of the Ukrainian people. Brother Matthew also met several leaders of the two Orthodox Churches and all the bishops of the Greek-Catholic Church, who were meeting in synod at the sanctuary of Zarvanitsya.

In the town of Zhitomyr, he took part in a gathering with teachers and pupils of a Catholic school in the town, and then went on a pilgrimage of remembrance to the towns of Irpin and Bucha, where the traces of the occupation by the Russian armed forces in the spring of 2022 are still visible.

On the last evening of his stay in Ukraine, during a prayer in the Latin Catholic church in Kyiv, Brother Matthew said to the young people gathered: “We are going back to France, but we will not forget you. We are going to pass on your courageous testimony to the young people we will meet in Taizé. This is the time of the Resurrection: sometimes it is difficult to believe in the Resurrection, but it teaches us that suffering will not have the last word”.

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From the fire, women from the village and sisters from the different communities present in Taizé took the Easter light and led the procession towards the Church of Reconciliation. At 8.00, they knocked three times on the door of the church and the Light of the Resurrection enter to the song of ¨Mshiha qam" (The Messiah lives), announcing in whispers "He is alive".

And as the Paschal candle was lit "Lumen Christi" (The Light of Christ) was sung, to which all responded "Deo gratias" (Thanks be to God) and the light spread throughout the church. And not only light, but that joy which rises in our hearts as we sing the Resurrection.

At the end of the service, in 20 different languages, our lips and hearts proclaimed:
 Christ is risen!
 He is risen indeed!

Risen Christ, like John, Peter, and Mary of Magdala on the morning of your Resurrection, we seek for you everywhere, but you always go ahead of us. Even if we perceive nothing of your presence, help us too to believe in the sign of the empty tomb. May the day come when we understand that you were there and that you send us out to bring the good news of your love to all creation.

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The olive branches were blessed by the Lutheran Bishop Fredrik Modéus, from Växjö in Sweden, and by Sr Delia, from the Protestant deaconess community in Riehen, Switzerland. Here are the prayers both wrote for the occasion.

- From Bishop Fredrik :

Christ, you walk the path of love for us and before us. When we hesitate, you wait patiently. Today, we stand at the threshold of the mystery. Let us follow you in trust, love and obedience, and rise to eternal life. Amen.

- From Sr Delia :

Jesus the Christ, you entered Jerusalem gentle and humble of heart. You came, not to be served, but to serve and give your life for us. And in giving yourself, you welcome us. In our joy, in our singing, you perceive our longing for you. In you we place our trust. During this Holy Week, enable us to welcome your love. Amen.

Recalling the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, all went from there to the Church of Reconciliation, with branches in hand.

On Sunday morning, for the Feast of Palm Sunday, the brothers and young people present at #Taizé gathered at 9.15am at the Saint-Etienne spring. Recalling the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, all went from there to the Church of Reconciliation, with branches in hand. pic.twitter.com/xrCU4pikoe

— Taizé (@taize) March 24, 2024

700 more people joined us for the Easter weekend including over 200 from Italy. At midday, Brother Matthew prayed the following words:

"Not knowing any longer how to manifest his love, God sent you, Christ Jesus, to dwell among us. And even if we are tempted to distance ourselves from you, you show us the way of a greater love, to the point that our hearts sing and rejoice in you: you will be with us for ever."

And in the evening prayer, after reading the passage from John 13, the brothers commemorated Jesus’ act of washing the feet of his friends, expression of that greater love which goes as far as giving our lives. A circle of 50 stools was set up in the first extension of the church and all who wished could come to sit and have their feet washed.

Afterwards, the celebration of the Eucharist recalled the Last Supper of Jesus with his friends before entering into his Passion.

- Sophia, from Germany

“The washing of the feet felt very special to me. In that moment I felt seen and totally accepted the way I am. As the brothers did the same service as Jesus in the Gospel, I was able to understand for the first time how the disciples must have felt on Maundy Thursday.”

- Marie, from Germany

“Spending time in Taizé during Holy Week was like a fresh breeze in my heart and solidified my faith even further. The most special moment was on Good Friday, when the bell rang and everybody stood still and was quiet. Hundreds or thousands of people stopped what they were doing for Jesus! This was a high feeling of community and faith for me.”

On Friday evening, the icon of the cross was carried in procession at the start of the prayer by brothers, joined by young people and children. It led us into the night of prayer as many people came to entrust to Jesus on the cross their burdens and those of the human family.

The Church of Reconciliation was stripped of all its decorations on this day of the Great Silence: candles, icons and the coloured tiles of the choir were removed. The following litany was prayed during the midday prayer:

The Church of Reconciliation was stripped of all its decorations on this day of the Great Silence: candles, icons and the coloured tiles of the choir were removed. The following litany was prayed during the midday prayer:

 Come, let us contemplate our Life lying in the tomb, to give life to those who in their tombs lie dead. You who gave yourself for our sake, glory to you, O Lord!

 On this day, a tomb holds the One who holds all creation in the palms of his hands, glory to you, O Lord!

 Sleeps Life and the kingdom of the dead trembles. You have given an everlasting peace: your resurrection from the dead, glory to you, O Lord!

 O tomb, who received the Creator as someone who fell asleep, you become a treasure of life for our salvation, glory to you, O Lord!

 The Life of all accepted to be laid in the tomb. He transfigures it into a fount of renewal, glory to you, O Lord!

 Let all creation rejoice, let all the inhabitants of the earth rejoice, for death has been stripped of its fearful mask, glory to you, O Lord!

 And God blessed the seventh day, the day of rest on which God’s beloved Son rested from all his works, glory to you, O Lord!

 By suffering his death, the Saviour maintained God’s peace in the flesh, and through his Resurrection he gave us eternal life, glory to you, O Lord!

During Brother Matthew’s Saturday meditation, Ivanka from Ukraine shared the following words when asked how we can continue to support her people:

- Ivanka, from Ukraine :

War is very exhausting and some people are feeling very down, so please remain for us, Ukrainians a visible sign of hope. Stay with us faithfully till the end. Pray and talk not only about peace but also don’t forget about justice. Proclaim truth about the crimes, and don’t be afraid to call evil by its name.

And Ülle, a deacon from Estonia, invited young people to take part in the European meeting in Tallinn at the end of this year:

- Ülle, from Estonia :

We look forward to welcoming you to Estonia. It’s a small country with a big heart. Come and help us tell our young people about Jesus. Come and pray for peace. Come and build an open, safe and fraternal Europe for today.

During their exchange, Brother Matthew thanked Pope Francis for his ministry as Bishop of Rome and shared the deep gratitude of many Christians of different Churches for the “Together” gathering of the People of God on 30 September last year, in particular for the final blessing given by the Pope together with some twenty other Church leaders.

The European meetings in Ljubljana, at the end of December 2023, and the one being prepared in Tallinn, Estonia, for the end of December 2024, were also mentioned, as well as the invitation issued by Brother Matthew to become “pilgrims of peace” at this time of great suffering in so many parts of the world.

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□ Before arriving in Rome, Brother Matthew and two other brothers of the community participated in an ecumenical colloquium on the theme “The Feast of Creation and the Mystery of Creation” held in Assisi. During the colloquium which he spoke on the first panel entitled “Ecumenical Kairos: fertile soil for the Feast of Creation”.

□ Last Wednesday, 13 March, Brother Matthew and the community welcomed to Taizé for the day the bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, who were in Geneva for an ecumenical study trip.

□ As part of the “pilgrims of peace” initiative, young people, sisters of Saint Andrew and brothers from Taizé completed a 34 km walk from Taizé on Thursday 7 March, to symbolically mark the distance between the cities of Gaza and Rafah, with four stops along the route to pray for those who are suffering from war in various parts of the world.

• · During his stay in Rome, Brother Matthew will be hosting a number of journalists for an informal breakfast. If you would like to participate, please write as soon as possible to secretariat taize.fr.

• · If you would like to receive the press releases sent four times a year to journalists and media, please register by writing to media taize.fr.

The bishops were in Geneva for an ecumenical study trip. They attended midday prayer and shared lunch with the community. In the afternoon, they reflected with the brothers on the themes of the unity of the Church, listening and dialogue, as well as the forthcoming European meeting in Tallinn, a city which is 82 km from Helsinki, two hours by ferry.