On Europe Day, 9 May at 9.30 p.m., an ecumenical moment of prayer for peace took place in Porto/Portogal, in the Cedofeita church.
Around 60 people were present, among them the Catholic auxiliary Bishop D. Roberto Mariz, Bishop D. Jorge Pina Cabral of the Lusitanian Church and Bishop Sifredo Teixeira of the Methodist Church. Jorge Pina Cabral and Bishop Sifredo Teixeira of the Methodist Church.
Poet Sophia de Mello Breyner’s verses ‘Give us Lord the peace we ask for, peace without victor and without vanquished’ marked the start of the celebration.
In a profound moment of interiority, stillness and silence, the word Peace was pronounced in different languages and with the sensitivity of the various confessions, stating: ‘God is love, the whole world needs peace. The world thirsts for Peace!’
We recited the ‘Our Father’ holding hands, followed by the blessing given together by the representatives of the various churches. We left off by drawing a card at random with a key word to build peace and singing the Gen Rosso song ‘Sow Peace’.
The moderator, Rev. Sérgio of the Lusitanian Church, concluded: ‘Today we have rekindled the flame’.
Now it is up to us to find ways and creativity to keep it going, perhaps without waiting a year…
Lurdes Teixeira on behalf of the TfE team in Porto
Photo L. Teixeira during the celebration; invitation flyer.
On the occasion of Europe Day 2024, the 10 May the event organised in Rome took place in the S. Maria in Campitelli complex. Among the 150 or so people present, members of various Movements and Communities of the Network in Rome, were people from the European Institutions, including Hon. Silvia Costa, and Filippo Sassoli, brother of David M. Sassoli.
The keynote speech by Claudio Sardo, a long-standing journalist who has been working for several years in the secretariat of Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Republic, was of great depth. His historical and sociological analysis offered much food for thought, and his assessments underlined the principles that motivate us.
This was followed by some good practices, including those of some young people: Giulia Covalea from the A. Megalizzi Foundation, Fabiola Marotti as ‘Ambassador of a United World’ and two 5th grade students who spoke about the Mediterranean Festival.
Young people also featured in the high-level musical interludes.
At the start, it seemed quite appropriate to play Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, first played exactly 200 years ago, and since 1985 the official anthem of the European Community.
In the adjoining, spacious church, an ecumenical prayer took place; 10 Churches and Ecclesial Communities took part. Accompanied by the choir, made up of people from various Movements and Communities, prayers and intentions were expressed to emphasise peace and love of neighbour. As a tangible sign, bread was distributed to each participant: this bread was then spontaneously exchanged with others. The service ended with the solemn joint blessing of the Church representatives.
Refreshments provided an opportunity to continue and deepen relations and knowledge among the participants.
On the theme ‘Seeking peace together and what is best for the city’ (cf. Jer 29:7), some 30 Christians committed to Together for Europe (TfE) met on Tuesday 16 April 2024 in the parish hall of St Paul’s in Innsbruck, to take a shared look at the city of Innsbruck and the region of Tyrol with reference to this motto.
They were joined by Thomas Römer (YMCA) and Michael Guttenberger (Vineyard), who had come from Munich.
Thomas Römer began by inviting the participants to introduce themselves according to their membership of a Church, Community or group: Schönstatt Movement, Lumen Christi Tirol, Focolare Movement, Sant’Egidio, ENC (European Network of Communities), Free Christian Community.
The speakers realised, with good intuition, that there was still a good ‘room for progress’ in the relationship between the groups present, and asked each movement to briefly expound on their characteristics. On the basis of this, Thomas Römer emphasised the essentials of each one, thus enabling a deeper mutual understanding and greater appreciation of the different charisms. In this process, carefully accompanied by the two long-standing ‘fighters’ of Together for Europe, all present experienced and enhanced gratitude to God for the different gifts and charisms, which appeared in all their evidence. The joy of fraternity was tangible among all.
Reviewing the history of TfE, Römer emphasised the decisive contribution of the Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity.
In the course of the dialogue, several participants asked how the goal of ‘Together’ (for Innsbruck, for Tyrol, for Europe) could be carried further. One of the answers was surprising in its apparent banality: ‘Having coffee together!’. By this, Thomas Römer meant meeting without ulterior motives, with the sole desire to get to know each other better, to appreciate diversity as a whole and to enjoy it. Other points were explained in a PowerPoint.
At the end of the official part, much gratitude was shown to the two speakers, accompanied by refreshments with snacks and drinks, which allowed for further conversations and an even deeper getting to know each other.
An appeal in view of the upcoming European elections
Together for Europe endorses this appeal to institutions, politicians and candidates for the European elections. The document was drafted by CEC (Conference of European Churches), COMECE (Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union) and I.A.O. (International Assembly on Orthodoxy).
The document emphasises the importance of Christian values as fundamental for the construction of Europe and invites the European institutions to a regular and transparent dialogue with Churches and religious associations, as foreseen in Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty.
From 11 to 13 April 2024, the European Steering Committee of Together for Europe (TfE) met for its annual retreat in Vallendar, the Schönstatt Centre. 21 members from seven Movements represented on the Steering Committee took part. Among them were: Father Alexandre Awi Mello, Superior General of the Schönstatt Fathers and President of the General Presidium of the International Schönstatt Institution, and Jesús Moran, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, who also attended on behalf of the President, Margaret Karram. The purpose of the retreat was to facilitate and prepare the generational change, as well as to focus on TfE ‘s vision and formulate concrete tasks for the coming years.
Identity
TfE is an ecumenical network with a Steering Committee that is at the service of the various Movements and Communities. The interaction of charisms requires constant listening to the voice of God: “The score is written in heaven” (Chiara Lubich). The nature and mission of TfE are revealed above all through direct participation in the network’s meetings, prayer initiatives, conferences and other local and international initiatives.
A Culture of leadership
Under the expert guidance of the specially appointed external moderator Dr Markus Ressl, and continuously listening to the Holy Spirit, the participants worked out the necessary steps for the near future. Moderator Gerhard Pross (YMCA Esslingen) and General Secretary Diego Goller (Focolare Movement) were given full confidence to continue their service over the next two years. The executive team of the Steering Committee, which previously consisted of four people from different communities, was expanded to include two younger people.
Visibility
To facilitate the work of this team, working and project groups were formed to – among other things – intensify contacts with Eastern Europe, Orthodoxy, Church leaders, politicians and national TfE Teams. In terms of communication, a greater ‘visibility’ in the European public opinion arena is desired.
The voices and suggestions of younger participants are increasingly proving to be an important contribution to a forward-looking collaboration. According to one young participant from the YMCA in Munich, it is above all a ‘personal approach’. “You have to participate in person to understand what it is all about”. In the near future, a group will study the possibility of organising a large event for all Movements.
Impressions
The meeting was characterised by a strong spiritual atmosphere. Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello (Schönstatt) stated: “It touches me deeply to see how God is working in this network. Here we are writing ‘holy history in a holy place’ “. And Jesùs Moran (Focolare Movement):“Charisms are gifts from God to the Churches. TfE allows Europe to see the unity of charisms. There is great potential in this. We must therefore never lose sight of today’s humanity, because we can always give hope to the world thanks to this charismatic force“.
Perspectives
The annual meeting of the Friends of TfE will take place from 31 October to 2 November 2024 in Graz/Seggau under the title ‘Called to Hope’, in close cooperation with the Austrian National Team and with the active participation of the younger generation.
A few months ago a veteran of Together for Europe asked me if our network has any influence on the life of the Continent. The courage and clarity of the question surprised me, but behind the words I sensed the real question: “Does my – our – work have a purpose?
After its beginnings, in the message of the first manifestation in Stuttgart in 2004, Together for Europe placed itself in today’s world, in history, declaring its identity for fraternity. A few years later, in 2007 – also in Stuttgart – the so-called 7 YESES were formulated, outlining the concrete programme of action. In one of these YESES it says: “Let us say YES to creation, by defending nature and the environment, gifts of God to be safeguarded with commitment that respects future generations.” The years went by andthe ecumenical network, mainly through the efforts of the various national committees, grew stronger on the Continent. Its structure was outlined with annual international meetings, with local events and, in recent years, from the westernmost part of Europe (Porto/Portugal) we reached the gateway to the East (Timisoara/Romania).
Together for Europe will be 25 years old this year. The question is very fair: while we thank God and mankind for the history of all these years, now, how do we move forward? Do we have and will we have influence on the life of the Continent? Does our work make sense and will it in the future?
The European Union came to our aid by inviting us to participate in a European call for proposals that “promotes citizens’ participation and involvement in the democratic life of the EU” in three fields in particular: the world of communication, the socio-political sphere and ecology. The online meeting on 2 March developed the latter. The 187 bookings and 110 listening places have enthused us and the answers to the questionnaires will help us to develop a KIT with concrete suggestions to the administration. Of course, the preparatory work for this meeting also required commitment, but the joy of seeing high-level experts in different fields, representing various Churches and countries, the encouraging testimonies, confirmed to us: a door to the future is opening here!
What kind of future? Generate as much as possible, with the cohesive force of fraternity, relationship spaces in all the fields of the 7 YESes. This is the ecology of relationships which goes beyond the protection of creation. In this endeavour, it may happen that beyond our common humanity, we discover many realities that bind us and can enhance our unity. On 2 March – in the ecological field – the Italian professor, the Greek theologian, the COMECE representative, the Swiss professor and the Irish doctor, the German expert and the EU official confirmed this, and the testimonies illustrated it. At the end, one participant asked: “How do such positive effects arise?” The answer was: through relationships.
Today, I would perhaps answer that veteran’s question with more conviction.
