In 2018, you participated in the Friends of Together for Europe meeting in Prague. Shortly afterwards you entered politics. Is there a relationship between these two facts?
Sure! And it is a very important relationship for me. If one wants to live politics with the ideal of service, one needs to get to know other politicians who have the same goal. The possibility of creating a ‘positive network’ with others also during the meeting in Prague helped me a lot at the beginning of my political life. And it still helps me.
What motivated you to get involved in politics?
Seeing and understanding how much effort it takes. Politics is a specific field, which touches the life of each one of us. And it is crucial that only those men and women who want to put themselves at the service of others enter politics. Otherwise, one leaves room for those who seek only power. I try to invite other friends into politics, especially young ones.
How do you deal with disappointments if working ‘together’ is not successful and certain opinions/views seem irreconcilable?
Politics is in need of good ideals! If these are missing, it only becomes a ‘technocracy’, and later an ‘autocracy’ of someone, who instead of ‘together’ puts ‘I by myself’. Not everyone is seeking ‘togetherness’. However, we are called upon to do our best, because we believe that this ‘togetherness’ is exactly what our world needs. We strive to do well our part and leave the rest in the hands of the Lord.
You were a candidate in the European elections. You were only a few votes away from being elected. Had you been elected, what would you have committed yourself to in the first place?
For four years I have been the Vice-President of our regional government. The region is called ‘Southern Bohemia’ I am mainly involved in agriculture and ecology; if I had been elected to the European Parliament, I would have been a member of these committees (AGRI and ENVI). The election campaign was a wonderful time in my life. In our list, the top six were elected: I was in seventh place. But I am sure that the Lord knows why. So, I look forward to seeing where he invites me next time.
The democratic values seem to be overshadowed. How could Together for Europe contribute to politics?
The biggest challenge, in my opinion, is that few engage in politics. I know cities where nobody wants to be mayor. If no democratic politician will do it, an extremist will come along and take this space for himself. This may also happen in our parliaments. The most important thing is to invite new men and women to engage in politics, ready to ‘put their hands in the pie’ and serve others through politics. Helping people understand this responsibility is something that Together for Europe could contribute to my generation.
At the big Together for Europe meeting in Stuttgart in 2007 I realised for the first time that there are convinced and committed Christians in other Churches with whom I immediately connected. Moreover, I experienced a rich and varied life, full of joy. I would like to promote this life also in my environment.
How are you preparing for the next meeting and what is your personal experience?
We continually entrust our requests to God in a prayer we have formulated together. We booked lodgings and the conference centre and also found a company to provide translation equipment. A band is being formed for the musical programme. Some of us participate in the international online meetings of the teams dedicated to the programme and organisation, which each time give us inspiration. To keep costs down, we are looking for sponsors; some we have already found.
We are very happy that, in addition to the supporters of Together for Europe, our friends who care about the unity of the different Christian communities and unity in Europe can also attend the meeting. Those who wish to get to know our network are also invited; we are surprised by the many positive reactions. People in positions of responsibility in Churches and politics are also showing interest. I am amazed at how many good things are possible in mutual love, which is the basis for our decisions.
Europe is increasingly less Christian. How can we convey to people the importance of the cohesion of the European peoples?
I would spontaneously say that we should let everyone experience togetherness. If people get to know each other, they gain trust and experience that they can complement and enrich each other. It is precisely this that I experience again and again in Together for Europe.
How do you live Together for Europe in your daily life?
Every person is a child of God and therefore I aim to treat my neighbours with care and respect. This makes it easier to face many of life’s difficulties, because one feels acceptance and support. I am always deeply touched when, without any expectations, I do something with Christians from other communities and the elementary aspects of life are dealt with in great agreement.
In 2024 the Friends of Together for Europe (TfE) will meet in Austria
It is wonderful (even if challenging!) to feel “called” to live and work in a reality greater than oneself: one does so, with joy and an ever-new impetus, on a well-founded Hope! Because, when God calls, we can always count on his grace that leads, accompanies, gives strength… And it is even more beautiful to discover that others, too, have received the same call – but with different tones and concrete expressions. This is how it is when different charisms meet! Converging in great freedom, discovering the myriad things that unite us, amplifies the beauty of each, refines and strengthens common goals.
Last year, in Timisoara/Romania, the Friends of TfE once again experienced being called to unity, an unforgettable experience, which filled their hearts, minds and souls.
Now their next meeting is approaching; this year it will be hosted by the TfE network in Styria, in Seggau, near the regional capital Graz/Austria.
Despite the fact that the world – including Europe – seems to be crumbling, there is a growing number of people who have been walking together for 25 years, experiencing the generative power of peace in going with an open heart towards the different, in welcoming each other even when it costs, in serving the Church and society together. These people know that the word ‘hope’ is not something that only refers to the future, but something already alive among them. “Called to Hope!” Hence the choice of this title for the meeting in Graz.
In and around the picturesque Hotel Schloss Seggau there will be time for getting to know each other, for dialogue, for making plans together for the good of our Churches and societies, and… also for an ‘ecumenical walk’ through the city of Graz, which is full of history in this respect. There will be opportunities to meet with leaders of local Churches and civil society. And, of course, there will be times for learning more about our charisms and for prayer.
We look forward with joy and full of renewed HOPE to this appointment – open to the surprises that its human-divine potential holds in store for us!
On 9 May, on the evening of Europe Day 2024, Jeff Fountain, Director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies in Amsterdam, and former Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger spoke at an online conference on the topic: Let us speak and pray for Europe. More than 100 participants in Europe followed the keynote speeches with great interest.
The conference was enthusiastically prepared together by a group consisting of members of the YMCA in Esslingen/Germany, ENC in Bratislava/Slovakia and the Focolare Movement in Vienna/Austria.
Jeff Fountain ha discusso nella sua presentazione la storia dell’Europa e le origini della Giornata dell’Europa e ha citato, tra gli altri, l’ateo Richard Dawkins: “Non si può capire l’Europa senza capire il cristianesimo e la Bibbia”. Il 9 maggio 1950, il ministro degli Esteri francese Robert Schuman annunciò l’accordo sul carbone e l’acciaio tra Germania, Italia e Francia con un discorso di soli tre minuti. Adenauer, De Gasperi e Schuman, insieme ai Paesi del Lussemburgo e del Belgio, posero in seguito la prima pietra della Casa Europea dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale concretizzando quell’accordo, chiamato CECA. “Questa è la storia che dobbiamo raccontare ai nostri figli e ai figli dei nostri figli ancora e ancora”. Leggi il discorso di Jeff Fountain (inglese) >>
Eduard Heger outlined the problems of our time. To overcome wars, migration, climate change, polarisation and fake news, Heger called on Christians to bring the good news of the Gospel into politics. Heger affirmed: ‘Forgiveness, hope and love can change the world and bring long-desired peace’.
A discussion with the speakers then followed. From the Netherlands: ‘For me, this means that I have to start making peace in my immediate environment. Many small steps then make a big difference’. ‘Unity is strength, that is, connecting with like-minded people to achieve a common goal,’ commented a student from Maastricht.
This year, Together for Europe (TfE) in Belgium celebrated Europe Day together with the Schuman Centre, which organises the annual ‘State of Europe Forum 2024’ event in Brussels, the host city of the European Union institutions.
The conference, entitled ‘Wake up Europe’, was prepared in cooperation with the Capella for Europe, the TfE Belgium committee, the EEA (European Evangelical Alliance) and the Carmelite Church, where the Forum was held. The participants at the Forum came from various Western and Eastern European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, Ukraine), as well as a few participants from Armenia.
Moments of awakening and grace in European history
A rich two-day programme was presented, containing, among other things, prayers for the EU and reflections on the upcoming European elections. Among the many contributions, we mention only a few such as, for example, the impulses on the history of the ‘awakening’ of Europe – by Jeff Fountain of the Schuman Centre/Amsterdam, Christian Institute for European Studies. Fountain examined its origins, based on the visions, but above all on the friendship of three Christian politicians from previously hostile nations: Robert Schuman (France), Konrad Adenauer (Germany) and Alcide de Gasperi (Italy). Prof. Evert van de Poll from the University of Leuven referred to ‘moments of grace’ in Europe’s rich history.
Our times and the urgent quest for peace
This was followed by the main reflections of two speakers from the cultural and ecclesial fields: Herbert Lauenroth, speaker from the ÖLZ (Ecumenical Centre) Ottmaring and long-standing member of the TfE Steering Committee, and the auxiliary bishop of Kamyanets-Podiliskyi in Ukraine, Radoslaw Zmitrowicz. Both speakers emphasised that Christians are ambassadors and architects, indeed witnesses, of new spaces of reciprocity, of reconciliation, of shalôm, of that peace which is founded in the Gospel and which our increasingly bellicose times so urgently seek.
Witnessing ‘mutual otherness’
One participant commented: ‘This peace, this witness of reciprocity – or “mutual otherness”, as the German theologian Eberhard Jüngel rightly called it – is entrusted first and foremost to Christians of all the different Churches, traditions, Communities and Organisations. If this witness is missing, nothing else counts’.
At the Chapel for Europe, TfE set up an exhibition of crosses from various cultures and Christian denominations, which can be visited until after the European elections.
Beatriz Lauenroth (TfE International Secretariat) and Anne Plancke (TfE Belgium Committee)
We share here the testimony of Gerhard Pross, moderator of Together for Europe, who was invited to Thessaloniki (Greece) to sign a joint declaration by Christians of different Churches, in view of the upcoming European elections in June 2024.
On 15 May 2024, Declaration ‘Europe, Be Yourself!’>>was signed. I had the honour to sign it together with the President of the CEC [1], Archbishop Nikitas, the President of COMECE [2], Bishop Mariano Crociata and the Secretary General of the I.A.O. [3], Maximos Charakopoulos
It was quite unusual for us, as a network of Movements, to be represented at this level; but it was the Orthodox parliamentarians who attached great importance to our voice, because they knew that we were making an active contribution to the Christian roots of Europe.
The contribution of Christian Movements to our society
In my brief greeting at the signing ceremony, I was able to refer to the conversation between the then President of the EU Commission Romano Prodi and Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement. On that occasion, Prodi asked Chiara Lubich how he could do Christian politics if Christians themselves do not raise their voices. Chiara then motivated us to plan an event, which was then held in May 2004, with the theme ‘Together for Europe’ and which impressively showed how much the Christian Movements contribute to our society with their commitment.
The passion to ‘rekindle’ Christian values in Europe
The signing was the prelude to a two-day ‘International Political Conference’ in Thessaloniki, with the aim of expressing Christian values in Europe. Numerous representatives of the mentioned Churches, politicians from European countries, university professors from Thessaloniki and other experts spoke in numerous plenary sessions. Sometimes there were controversial positions, with heated debates on the difference between Christian and European values, why the EU Future Document does not mention Churches and faith at all, and how to deal with increasing secularisation. On the other hand, very clear and encouraging Christian positions have emerged, for example from the Albanian Minister of Culture.
Speaking with one voice
Our ‘7 YESes’ >>, which I was able to introduce in the first round of talks, resonated positively on several occasions. Many people eagerly asked what Together for Europe was all about, knowing nothing about it, and showed that they were interested. Numerous contacts were established. The conference raised awareness of the need to ensure that Christian values (and the Christian faith) are not removed from the EU consciousness. On the last day, one participant summed up the main problem as follows: ‘We Christians are not heard, because we are not united and therefore do not speak with one voice.’
We should raise our voices more courageously and defend our values more clearly, without imposing them on others – this is what I stated there, this is my deep conviction.
Thessaloniki, Pentecost 2024
Gerhard Pross
[1] CEC = Conference of European Churches. The CEC is a community of some 114 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Vetero-Catholic Churches from all European countries.
[2] COMECE = Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences [cattoliche] of the European Union.
