Taizé gathers 15,000 people to reflect on purpose at Paris meeting
‘May the moments of prayer and sharing that you are living deepen your faith, always discerning how to live the Gospel within the concrete realities of your life,’ said Cardinal Parolin in a message on behalf of the Pope.
Maciej Biłas / flickr | Creative Commons
‘So many people are looking for meaning in their lives. They are searching for something greater than the easy promises that fill our screens. Are humans not created for a real purpose?’
Up to 15,000 people from 72 countries met in Paris for the forty-eighth European youth meeting of the ecumenical Taizé Community.
The prior of the Taizé Community, Brother Matthew, in a letter published on 26 December, announced Jesus’ first words in John’s gospel, “What are you seeking?”, as the theme for the gathering from 28 December to 1 January.
The Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic community known for its commitment to peace and justice through prayer and meditation, organises a youth gathering in a European city at the end of each year. Last year’s meeting took place in Tallinn, Estonia.
Brother Matthew expanded on the theme of this year’s gathering in his letter: “So many people are looking for meaning in their lives. They are searching for something greater than the easy promises that fill our screens so much of the time. Are humans not created for a real purpose? What can enable us to discover this?
“Our world has so much beauty, but so much injustice too. What is my place in all of that? What am I being asked to do?
“How can I use the freedom that has been given to me to express solidarity with those who suffer? They are seeking ways in which their desire to love and care can become real, making their lives meaningful by helping and serving.
“After a week at Taizé, when asked what has been most important for them, many young people speak about the experience of silence. In a world which is hyperconnected and constantly on the move, this may seem surprising.
“When we take time and disconnect from input that never ends, it is sometimes in silence that we truly encounter ourselves and also glimpse a greater reality.”
In a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV to the young people attending the gathering, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said: “This is an essential question which dwells in the heart of every human person. The Holy Father invites you to not fear this question but to take it into prayer and silence, certain that Christ walks at your side and is always found by those who seek Him with a sincere heart.
“At the end of this year, in which our human family has seen so many trials, the hospitality which you are receiving in Paris from believers of all horizons and people of goodwill is a powerful message to the world. May the moments of prayer and sharing that you are living deepen your faith, always discerning how to live the Gospel within the concrete realities of your life.
“This gathering comes at the end of the Jubilee year and just after the commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. As Pope Leo recalled in his ecumenical encounter of prayer at Iznik, ‘reconciliation today is a call which comes from all of human afflicted by conflict and violence. The desire of a full communion between all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for the fraternity between all human beings.’”
The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said in his letter to the participants: “Be assured of my prayers and my best wishes as you gather in Paris for this international gathering. We live in a world marked by so much misunderstanding, polarisation, fear, and confusion. May the light and peace of Christ bring you closer to each other as you approach him in prayer.”
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said: “The world needs your clear vision, your courage, and your capacity for hope. It needs young peacemakers, capable of resisting violence, exclusion, and contempt for others. It needs witnesses of a humble faith, lived not as power, but as service. In the Orthodox tradition, we like to remind you that the true strength of a Christian is manifested in unconditional love and faithfulness to one’s neighbour.”
The meeting will centre on collective prayer, both on a large scale with thousands of participants and on a smaller scale in the churches, villages and local communities throughout the host region.
The participants will also take part in workshops on themes including politics and society, scripture, spirituality, ecology, solidarity and migration, Church life, art and culture, interreligious dialogue, heritage and history, peace and international issues, and Christian unity.
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