The Press Office of the Holy See held a press conference on January 23 to present “Walking Together – The Gathering of the People of God”. This is a prayer vigil held in St. Peter’s Square before the opening of the Synod of Bishops in October. Pope Francis and representatives of various Christian communities will be present. The event is organized by Taizé.
(Vatican News Network)Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general spokesman for the 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, said at a press conference on January 23: “I am not worried about differences of opinion within the Church. This is absolutely normal. The world The Synod is not divisive by nature and needs to listen to each other to discern the will of God for his people. Therefore, I am confident that we can move forward smoothly together.” The press conference on the day aimed to introduce the September 30th of this year The ecumenical vigil in St. Peter’s Square on the theme “Walking together – the assembly of the people of God”.
On the eve of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis and representatives of many Christian faith groups will uphold the spirit of ecumenical unity and pray together. The prayer meeting, open to all, was organized by the Taizé community in collaboration with the Diocese of Rome, the Secretariat of the Synod, the Congregation for the Promotion of Christian Unity, the Congregation for the Laity, the Family and Life, and more than fifty Catholic associations. Collaborate with other Christian groups.
Fellowship itself is not a new thing, because it stems from the apostle’s personal experience. What is refreshing at this moment is that members of the Christian community realize that they are all baptized in Christ and pray with one heart. This is the core concept of this ecumenical vigil prayer. At that time, the participants are mainly young people aged 18 to 35 from various European countries, regardless of their Christian traditions, and they are all invited to spend a shared time in Rome on the last weekend of September. In this way, the younger generation of Catholics can also continue the World Youth Day in Lisbon. After the prayer vigil, the bishops and others present at the Synod will take a three-day retreat in Rome.
Friar Alois, Rector of Taizé, came up with the idea for this prayer meeting in October 2021 to celebrate the “real, though imperfect, unity” in Christ. While some theological questions remain unresolved, our oneness needs to be shown: in doing so, we will find that we can make peace. Brother Ellis said that the Pope is very interested and the time is clearly ripe. Demonstrating unity through spiritual ecumenism is a prerequisite for calling for peace in the world. Dean Taize made a point of rekindling the fire of baptism that connects us to one another.
Archbishop Ian Ernst, the representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See and director of the Anglican Center in Rome, also spoke at the press conference. He invites all to open their hearts to ecumenical action. “We must be mindful of the deep needs of the people of God, and listen to those who are not usually heard. The Synod must promote integration, not only discussing issues of structure, but putting the relationship itself at the center.” At this level. In a sense, prayer vigils will be a sort of litmus test of how we pray for one another and reach out to others in times of difficulty. This is because the sharing of the word of God is not something illusory, but it is strengthened in concrete life.
Pastor Christian Krieger, president of the Council of European Christians (CEC) and president of the French Protestant Union, spoke via online, pointing out that the Synod “can change us.” Pastor Krieger encouraged all Reformed church groups in Italy to attend the prayer meeting.
Khajag Barsamian, the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See, also spoke at the press conference. He emphasized the need for humility and sincerity in everyone: “Because humility is not a sign of weakness, and unity is achieved precisely when no one is superior.”
The General Spokesperson of the World Conference of Bishops, Cardinal Hollelich firmly believes that if we live out the spirit of consensus in the Church, we will be able to usher in a new spring and a new starting point in the Church.
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