ONE WORLD RELIGION WATCH:
“At the pre-Synod, differences do not prevent us from being united”
A Methodist girl speaks about the Ecumenical Council of Churches. From
last Monday to next Saturday more than 300 young people from all over
the world in Rome in view of the Synod of October
These days she is in Rome taking part in the "pre-synodal meeting" that sees more than 300 young people from all over the world gathered from last Monday to next Saturday. Responsible for the youth programme of the organizational body that brings together Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican Churches, she was sent to the preparatory appointment of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme "Young people, the faith and vocational discernment", scheduled next October.
“This is the first time I have attended such an event and have been in office as the person responsible for the youth programme of the Ecumenical Council of Churches for only four months." says Bohol Joy Eva Algodon during a meeting of some of the participants with journalists in the Vatican Press Room. "It is exciting to meet other young people who share the same visions and hopes. When I arrived, I looked at all these young people and I really had the feeling of the image of the body of Christ for all Christians who confess the Trinitarian God. There are Catholics, non-Catholics, believers of other faiths, non-believers and it is inspiring to see that all these young people would like to be united, which is what God would like us to be: united, together, to speak about our faith and how we can improve humanity and the Kingdom of God".
How are the discussions going after two days? Are concrete proposals emerging?
"We are still in the process of drafting the final document that we wish to present to the Synod of Bishops in October. It is very comforting to be able to speak freely about what concerns us. And not only Catholics but also those who like me are Protestants, for example, I have the freedom to express what I think. It is a very healthy place to say what you think. This morning we started to examine the final draft document and we hope to have the final document by Saturday".
What are the main difficulties?
"It is difficult to put together in a single document all the contexts, the experiences from which we come from. We come from different parts of the world, we have different experiences, we experience different realities. Young people from Africa, to give an example, wish to volunteer with the Church but do not always find the necessary encouragement, and, in any case, they have the problem that in the meantime they must seek work: their passion is to serve the Church, but reality is finding work. I belong to the Asian group and for us, to give another example, the theme of faith is important if it is lived on a personal rather than a community level. Sometimes a young Christian is in a minority compared to his own society. And education begins with the family, which is the basic cell of society. All these issues come up in the course of the discussions".
Are the differences between Christian denominations a problem?
"What I notice is that in this event we are not talking about doctrine, we are not discussing the fundamentals of theology, but our faith in the Trinitarian God and how we see that God and the Church are still relevant to our times. I'm really surprised, I never really had the feeling of "oh, I'm Protestant, they are Catholics, it's a problem! It is a very healthy and welcoming place to discuss".
Is there a concrete issue that you especially want to transmit to the Synod of Bishops?
"Continue to bring young people into the decision-making mechanisms and into every aspect of the Church".
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