In a message sent to the Taizé Community, Pope Francis encouraged participants of their ecumenical meeting to be «the salt of the earth». The meeting will take place from December 29th– January 2ndin Prague.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed the Pope’s encouragement to the participants, calling on them to «discover the surprising confidence that Christ has placed in you.»
«Do not be overwhelmed by your limitations and your poverty,» he wrote. «Through his Spirit, present in you, Christ makes you the salt of the earth. Look to him to receive what He asks of you. He comes to give the world its true flavor by enabling it to discover the beauty of communion with God and between brothers and sisters.»
Recalling the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s return to democracy, the Holy Father called on the faithful of the Taizé Community to remember in their prayers those who have died for their faith.
«You are also invited to open paths of freedom, by giving yourselves with the willingness that Mary had at Nazareth, when she received in herself the life of the Son of God. It is this life that is called to be spread also in you,» the message stated.
Cardinal Parolin wrote that the Pope has confidence in their «imagination and creativity so that the joy of the Gospel can be proclaimed and heard today» in their own countries. He also recalled the Pope’s recent visit to Turkey, in which he said that «it is precisely the young who today implore us to make progress towards full communion.»
«I think for example of the many Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant youth who come together at meetings organized by the Taizé community,» the Pope said on November 30th during the Divine Liturgy in Istanbul. «They do this not because they ignore the differences which still separate us, but because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace what is essential and what already unites us.»
The Vatican Secretary of State concluded his message, stating that Pope Francis imparted his Apostolic Blessing on the Taizé Community and all participants of their meeting in Prague.
Founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schütz, the Taizé community is an ecumenical monastic order composed of over a hundred brothers from Protestant and Catholic traditions. An estimated 100,000 youth attend pilgrimages organized by the community «for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work.»
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On ZENIT’s website:
For the text of the Pope’s message to the Taizé community, go to: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-message-to-the-taize-community
