Nieuws uit Taizé. (E)
International meetings in Taizé
After two years marked by the pandemic, international meetings were able to resume “almost as before” over the past year. The month of February will be marked by the return of many young French and Portuguese people, then it will be the beginning of Lent. The dates for the meetings in 2023 for young people, adults and families are published on the site, as well as the specific summer meetings, such as the friendship meeting between young Christians and Muslims and the week of reflection for 18-35 year olds.
‘Together’ | Gathering of the people of God
Sunday January 15 in Rome, at the end of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis announced that the work of the next assembly of the Synod of the Catholic Church will be preceded by an ecumenical prayer vigil, on Saturday 30 September, in St. Peter’s Square, to which he invites “brothers and sisters of all Christian denominations”. This gathering of the people of God has been prepared for several months, on the initiative of Taizé, by representatives of some fifty ecclesial realities, of various denominational origins. All the information is published on a dedicated site, and Brother Alois gave an interview in four European media to explain the meaning of this project.
Rostock European Meeting
The 45th European Youth Meeting took place at the end of December in Northern Germany, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, in the city and region of Rostock. It was marked by the great commitment of many people: parishes and Christian communities, priests and pastors, community leaders and civil authorities, families and guests.
On the occasion of this meeting in Rostock, Brother Alois published a message entitled “Inner life and solidarity”, which will be read throughout the year 2023 in small sharing groups, in Taizé and elsewhere. Following the European meeting, it is also possible to find online on the Taizé website:
the links to the broadcast of the evening prayers
the meditations of Brother Alois at the end of each evening prayer
the midday prayer meditations
the messages sent by Church and United Nations leaders.
The war in Ukraine
Since February 24, the Taizé community has sought various ways to express its solidarity with the Ukrainian people: prayers for peace, welcoming refugees, collecting medical equipment, school supplies and candles. More than twenty projects have been supported by the “Operation Hope” solidarity fund. Before the meeting in Rostock, Brother Alois traveled with another brother to Ukraine, to the cities of Kyiv, Irpine, Bucha and Lviv, for meetings with leaders of the various Christian Churches and to participate in the Christmas celebrations according to the Gregorian calendar. He recounts the highlights of this stay in an interview (in French or Italian).
Report on Safeguarding at Taizé
In June 2019, Brother Alois published an open letter entitled “Ascertaining the Truth” in which he explained the accusations that had reached the community concerning acts of sexual assault of which three brothers were accused. He said, among other things: “We are convinced that only by bringing to light these acts will we contribute, assisted by people outside the community, to effectively protect all those who trust us by coming to Taizé.”
The present report, published in December, aims to take stock of what has been undertaken in Taizé since 2019, as a milestone in a process that will continue. It covers the period from June 2019 to November 2022.
Commented Bible Passage: “Life as Sacrifice”
For the month of February, the bible passage with commentary on the Taizé website is Romans 12,1-2. “Sacrifice does not have a good name in today’s world. For our contemporaries, “to make a sacrifice” means basically not to do something one would like to do, or to do something one does not wish to do. And for those familiar with the history of religions, the term can calls to mind bloody victims offered to the gods. And here, the apostle urges the Christians of Rome to make a sacrifice out of their day-to-day life in the world (that is the meaning the word “body” has for him here). How can we understand such a proposal?”
New releases
Information on the latest publications is available on this page of the site and on the “webshop”, online shopping website.
- The tenth and last volume of “Writings of Brother Roger”, under the title “J’irais jusqu’au bout du monde”, presents the texts of the founder of the Taizé community written between 1991 and 2005.
- A new book of songs from Taizé in German, under the title “Die Gesänge aus Taizé – Deutschsprachige Ausgabe”
- A fourth recording of Taizé songs in an instrumental version was recently published, with accompaniments for 18 Taizé songs.
Prayers live from Taizé
Every evening, the common prayer continues to be broadcast live audio from Taizé at 20.30 (CET | UTC+2) and the Saturday evening prayer is also broadcast live on Taizé social networks.
Diary
- Australia. In March, a brother will visit several cities where prayers and meetings will take place. Full details on this page.
- Chile. A prayer with songs from Taizé will take place on 10 March at 7.30pm in the city of Santiago (San Saturnino Parish, Santo Domingo 2772).
Prayer
God of peace, so many people across the world are going through trials, war, poverty, illness, and hunger. And we ask you: make our prayer and our compassion stronger. May your kingdom come!
