Walter Kriechbaum is an Evangelical Pastor and secretary of the YMCA of Bavaria. He has a soft spot for Europe and takes reconciliation seriously. To this end he has established friendships even in Poland and Ukraine within the international and ecumenical network Together for Europe.
“As a German, in my travels in Eastern Europe I’m often reminded of the historical cruelties. Once, while in the company of Polish friends, I found myself speechless at Lutsk (Ukraine), the place that commemorates the thousands of Poles that were mercilessly murdered. The same thing happened in a cemetery in the middle of one of the greatest battle fields of World War Two. All of a sudden, my friends asked me, a German and a member of the Evangelical Church, to pray upon the dead and ask for forgiveness and peace for our peoples of Europe”. Walter Kriechbaum experienced that living reconciliation together may entail, among other things, journeying with others along the pathway of affliction, taking upon oneself the sufferings of the others. Ecumenical reconciliation entails evaluating the gifts of the others and creating space for their development. Walter considers the suffering of an incomplete unity as a seed for the future.
Reconciliation does not require proportional representation
Munich 2016: During an ecumenical prayer meeting for the unity of Europe organized by Poles and Germans together, some twenty Russians entered the church unexpectedly. Water was leading the prayers together with a Polish friend, and for an instant was at a loss how to manage the new situation. Then he asked one from the Russian group to come forward and pronounce a prayer. At the end the participants – Catholics, Protestants, members of the Free Churches and Russian Orthodox – received a blessing from a Polish priest of the Schoenstatt Movement. Walter: “I learned that ecumenical reconciliation does not require either proportionality or deciding who is right. Jesus Christ dwells in the other’s heart and in a fantastic way he transforms diversity into a complementary, without any cancellations”.
Reconciliation requires trust
During his many travels in Eastern Europe Walter continues to weave a friendship net: “This, however, demands patience and perseverance. Sometimes it takes years to eliminate distrust. I have understood that the ecumenical experience “in the periphery” means feeling close and far away at the same time, and to be able to tolerate tension. When all of us turn our gaze upon Jesus, an interior closeness slowly develops. This cannot be forced; it is God’s work”. Walter is convinced that the mutual trust that ensues allows persons to speak freely and to experience an interior freedom.
Reconciliation requires that we be detached
According to Walter “reconciliation and ecumenical harmony cannot be organized. We ought to be detached all the time, and keep on entering into the Kairos of God. Only he knows the right time”. Nevertheless, we may prepare for this. “Together we will succeed to make Europe to shine. Its splendour is its people that are journeying toward reconciliation”. Walter is convinced of this and lives for it – starting anew each day.
Preparations for the celebration of the “20 years of Together for Europe” have been going for some time. The spark that triggered off this original ecumenical-European journey was ignited at the Ecumenical Centre of Ottmaring, just after the signature of the historical joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in Augsburg.
Severin Schmid has seen the birth and the growth of this communion, whose “score is written in heaven”. We asked him to tell us how things happened.
Ilona Toth, who comes from Hungary, is presently a member of the Steering Committee of Together for Europe. In 2018 she participated in the 50th anniversary of Ottmaring. What are her impressions of this ecumenical Centre near Augsburg?
Maria Voce, familiarly also known as Emmaus, is a member of the Steering Committe of Together for Europe. She is also the President of the Focolare Movement, and this summer said Movement is organizing an event on a European level.
She gave interviews regarding this event. From these we chose two questions and answers which are of special interest for us since they underline the spirit and the soul of our network.
David Maria Sassoli is the newly-elected President of the European Parliament. On this occasion we would like to propose excerpts from the interview he gave on March 24, 2017 – the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome – when he took part in an International Ecumenical Prayer Vigil organized by Together for Europe.
The report is by journalist Claudia Di Lorenzi
“To show the world that, in spite of the cultural and confessional differences, fraternity and unity are possible”. This was the idea behind the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Europe>> which was held in the Basilica of the XII Apostles, in Rome. This event brought together members of the international network TfE as well as representatives of Italian and European Institutions. Such Vigils were held in other 56 cities all over Europe.
Among those present for this event there was the Hon. David Sassoli, and Italian MEP of the Partito Democratico. We interviewed him:
Honourable Sassoli, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which marked the beginning of the European Union, many point out that Europe has lost its Christian roots, placing too much emphasis perhaps on finance, bureaucracy and national interests, incapable of showing solidarity and welcome, or encouraging development focused on the human person. What do you think?
“It is important that Christians make themselves heard more; there should be networks among Christians which would provide a witness and example to others. There is no doubt, values such as peace, co-existence, solidarity and justice, which are of Christian origin, are today also considered as paradigms of political, cultural and moral commitment by citizens who are not themselves Christian. These are the key values that constitute our European identity: something Christians ought to be happy with, because within what is considered the European identity, as such, are these definitely Christian values. What needs to be done now is to explain all this well to the European citizens. Currently the idea of Europe frightens and makes people anxious. It appears burdensome; instead we need to show the value of unity to the peoples of Europe. What is also at stake here, the challenge for this Century, is to shape a global market. Globalisation without rules leads to marginalisation, poverty and misery, and environmental catastrophes. The great challenge Europe continues to face is to give rules and values to the world. Market rules which do not successfully safeguard human rights, freedom and democracy would be merely economic laws allowing the stronger to win, and this is not what we want. So, the challenge is this: Christian values which are at the basis of European identity today must provide the key elements to face this great global challenge”.
Together for Europe 1999-2019 – An interview with Pál Tóth
The initiative Together for Europe turns 20. For the occasion, we have put two questions to Pál Tóth, who teaches at the University Institute ‘Sophia’ in Loppiano (Florence). We specifically asked about the initiative itself and how does Together for Europe respond to today’s challenges.
Together for Europe was born in 1999. How does this free alliance of Christian Communities and Movements differ from other groups that are presently working for Europe? What is its characteristic?
The acceptance of otherness, and, as a consequence, of pluralism, is one of the achievements of Western culture. This conviction is rooted in the Biblical faith that each one of us is an unrepeatable creature of God, who has a loving plan for each one of us. This development, however, presented the societies with Christian roots with a new challenge: how are they supposed to manage this rich diversity? How is the necessary unity to act achieved? Today, in an era of global challenges, this issue has become really urgent. Presently the problems are no longer solely local; indeed we have to deal with transversal challenges like climate change, migration, poverty, unbridled capitalism, etc.. In order to respond adequately to these challenges, we need to have a more efficacious collaboration on a global level. In my opinion, Europe, which for centuries has elaborated innovative ideas, may, or rather, ought to play a crucial role in this process.
I’m convinced that the Christian Churches have a special resource to offer in the bringing about a unity which does not oppress, but, on the contrary, appreciates diversities. This ability may be seen in the initiative Together for Europe. The Churches themselves, too, are enriched with pluralism; however, it is a pluralism of the various charisms and gifts, and it is a pluralism that is able to bring about unity. Why? Because at the root of every true Charism there is a word of God. The charisms are different from one another, but the root of all of them is the Word of God, all summed up in the New Commandment: Love one another. This is their common foundation, and one that provides a solid base for unity and collaboration. In fact, Together for Europe bases its activities on the “Pact of mutual love” endorsed by the representatives of the diverse Movements and Communities present in our Continent.
Also, we need to mention the men and women who were the pioneers of Together. They have dedicated themselves completely to this initiative for 20 years. Sure, from a human perspective, they are talented persons who have been faithful to their commitment. But I want to add something: in that long-past 1999, they were touched by a strong light, by the Divine. They intuitively understood that it is through a lived-out unity that we may build a different world, a new Europe. That ‘foundation’ experience marked them with a certainty based on unity in diversity, which they now seek to hand down to others. They know that the dreams and aspirations which they once had have today become a necessity for survival. Chiara Lubich, co-founder of Together for Europe affirmed: “Everything depends on the charisms. We need to discover them”.
What does Together for Europe need to do to enhance its visibility?
There are more than 300 Movements and Communities involved in Together for Europe, and as such they already offer a visible witness of collaboration and unity. Besides the declaration of common values, and the praying together on special occasions, one may see what they already do together to respond to the above-mentioned challenges. Today, what gains visibility are common actions, which are then narrated in such a way as to create adhesion and sharing. Together for Europe ought to develop gradually this aspect by having more projects of common actions.
One project could be a permanent platform for dialogue between Eastern and Western Countries. The 2017 Vienna meeting of Together made a first step. Representatives from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Russia started a dialogue with the Western Countries. The commitment (and the effort) to go beyond the differences and the critical situations, which were often obstacles in the way of mutual understanding between East and West, was quite evident. This path could lead to a collaboration regarding diverse issues, like the concept of Nation, State-Church relations, human rights, the demands of unity and truth, etc..
Through various projects on an ecclesial, political, economic and civil kevel, Together for Europe is forming an ever increasing network of citizens committed to a “Christian revival of Europe”, where criticism is put aside and the focus is upon the growth of everyone, all together.
An international team of professionals are preparing a video clip to mark the 20th anniversary of Together for Europe, which will be celebrated at Ottmaring (Germany) this November.
“The latest events of Together for Europe have lead us back to Klagenfurt, Ottmaring and Munich; that is where we started to discover its current identity and the meaning of the experience of these 20 years of journeying together. In November, on the occasion of this anniversary, we will make use of interviews and videos to narrate how this network is currently made up and what it does. Working with various persons we saw that it is possible to live unity in the diversity, and that the various charisms may be the answer to problems; indeed, Europe has an urgent need to engage in a constructive dialogue with the diverse Churches, Communities, Movements, peoples, etc.”. That is what Dalma Timár, from Hungary, stated. She is an expert on video editing and together with Vera Bohus, also from Hungary and a camera operator, as well as with Cinzia Panero, an Italian director, are involved in this original European experience.
We are presenting in advance some excerpts from the numerous interviews they conducted.
Friendship is a most important theme for Together for Europe. The kind of friendship that effectively unites us is that which allows us to become friends of Jesus in our midst. (Sr. Nicole Grochovina, Selbitz)
For us, the culture of reciprocity is very important. We all feel it within us; it’s not something that is imposed on us. (Pavel Snoj, Ljubljana)
Together for Europe has changed my life; from the very outset I felt as if the Spirit of God has taken charge of us and was leading us forward. (Gerhard Pross, Esslingen)
I see Together for Europe as a laboratory in which, men and women, members of various Movements and Communities, clergy and lay persons of various Churches, strive to discover together how to live as Christian today in Europe. (Ilona Tóth, Budapest)
According to me we ought to start from the bottom, from the community, from the familial life between the Communities. (Matteo Fanni Canelles, Trieste)
