For seven days the streets and squares of Madrid, Spain,
were overrun by more than a million young people from all over the world. They
gathered for the 26th World Youth Day (WYD), a youth-oriented event of the
Roman Catholic Church. The World Councilof Churches (WCC) was officially represented by three members of its EchosCommission on Youth in the Ecumenical Movement, Diana Fernandes Dos Santos of
Brazil, Mikael Giødesen of Denmark and Nikos Kosmidis of Greece.
The WYD offered the three Echos members a unique
opportunity to understand the dynamics and developments of Roman Catholic youth
through engaging the different movements and religious orders present there as
well as discussions about issues of Christian unity. The team were guest speakers in two ecumenical
events organized jointly by the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS),
the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS), Pax Romana, the
Juventud Estudiante Catolica (JEC) and the WCC.
A “World Café” with the theme “Youth and the Search for
Christian Unity” invited some 200 participants to discuss issues related to
Christian unity, divisions in the history of Christianity, the initiatives
within contemporary ecumenical dialogue, youth involvement in the life and work
of the WCC. The World Café was developed
out of the youth agenda and young members of the Joint Working Group between
the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC. Kosmidis,
an Eastern Orthodox, delivered a presentation at why Christian unity matters
today, the history of the ecumenical movement and what young Christians may do
together as part of their social responsibility.
In the discussion following the presentation the
participants, most of whom were Roman Catholic youth representing all
continents, shared their different understandings of what unity means. An even
more challenging topic was raised by the group regarding the role and ministry
of the pope of Rome in the worldwide church and the way his primacy was
understood within the “Pentarchy” (the five major episcopal sees) of the early
church. Questions were also raised
regarding the current level of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic bilateral dialogue
and how young people may serve their churches in this discussion.
“We believe our event gave a different experience
of WYD where youth pilgrims had a chance to share, understand and reflect
deeper on ecumenism experienced among young people,” said Loucille D. Alcala,
programme coordinator for the IYCS International Secretariat in Paris.
“Further, it was also a space to encourage working together with different
youth organizations and promote ecumenical actions at all levels.” A second event focused on the spiritual
foundations of ecumenical dialogue and how working for the unity of the church
affects the faith of a young person. Dos Santos, a Methodist, and Giødesen, a
Lutheran, both of whom have served as WCC stewards at international meetings,
were able to share the experience of their ecumenical journey and how their
lives have been changed as a result.
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