Pope Francis has sent a Message, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, to the young people taking part in the 40th European Taizé gathering of young adults. This meeting is taking place in Basel (Switzerland) until January 1, 2018.
Dear young people,
You have come in great numbers from all over Europe and also from other continents to Basel - the Swiss neighbourhood - from France and from Germany in order to experience the 40th meeting organized and led by the Taizé Community. And you have been brought here in order to explore together the sources of true joy. This is the theme that will guide your reflections and focus your prayer.
In this perspective, Pope Francis wishes to assure you of his extreme spiritual closeness. In fact, as he wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew (EG, 1). Also, the Holy Father rejoices at the knowledge that you have chosen to participate in this encounter in order to welcome and to deepen the message of Jesus that is the source of joy for all those who open their hearts to him. His Holiness thanks you for having responded to the call of the Lord who gathers you in the joy of his love.
The Pope encourages you to allow this joy to live in your heart, a joy that is born out of friendship that is experienced with Jesus and which never closes us off to the needs of others, nor to the needs of the world. He invites you to remain connected to the Lord, through prayer and listening to his Word, in order that he may help you to use your talents to promote a culture of mercy, founded on the rediscovery of encountering others: a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or looks away when he sees the sufferings of his brothers (Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et misera, 20).
Throughout the year that is drawing to a close, we have kept the memory of the 500th anniversary of the Reform. In addition, the Pope is asking the Holy Spirit to help you, young protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, to rejoice and to enrich yourselves with the diversity of gifts that have been given to all of Christ's disciples, in order to demonstrate the fact that the joy of the gospel unites us in spite of al our wounds and divisions. The Holy Father encourages you to not be afraid to travel the paths of fraternity in order that your gathering in Basel may make visible the joyous communion that flows from the source of hearts that are overflowing with the Lord.
Confiding you to the Lord in order that you may sing with the Virgin Mary the marvels of his love which is the source of our joy, the Holy Father willingly imparts his blessing to you young people taking part in this gathering, to the Brothers of Taizé, and to all the people of Switzerland, France and Germany who have welcomed you.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State of His Holiness
Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to the European Taizé Community
Dear young people,
You have come in great numbers from all over Europe and also from other continents to Basel - the Swiss neighbourhood - from France and from Germany in order to experience the 40th meeting organized and led by the Taizé Community. And you have been brought here in order to explore together the sources of true joy. This is the theme that will guide your reflections and focus your prayer.
In this perspective, Pope Francis wishes to assure you of his extreme spiritual closeness. In fact, as he wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew (EG, 1). Also, the Holy Father rejoices at the knowledge that you have chosen to participate in this encounter in order to welcome and to deepen the message of Jesus that is the source of joy for all those who open their hearts to him. His Holiness thanks you for having responded to the call of the Lord who gathers you in the joy of his love.
The Pope encourages you to allow this joy to live in your heart, a joy that is born out of friendship that is experienced with Jesus and which never closes us off to the needs of others, nor to the needs of the world. He invites you to remain connected to the Lord, through prayer and listening to his Word, in order that he may help you to use your talents to promote a culture of mercy, founded on the rediscovery of encountering others: a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or looks away when he sees the sufferings of his brothers (Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et misera, 20).
Throughout the year that is drawing to a close, we have kept the memory of the 500th anniversary of the Reform. In addition, the Pope is asking the Holy Spirit to help you, young protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, to rejoice and to enrich yourselves with the diversity of gifts that have been given to all of Christ's disciples, in order to demonstrate the fact that the joy of the gospel unites us in spite of al our wounds and divisions. The Holy Father encourages you to not be afraid to travel the paths of fraternity in order that your gathering in Basel may make visible the joyous communion that flows from the source of hearts that are overflowing with the Lord.
Confiding you to the Lord in order that you may sing with the Virgin Mary the marvels of his love which is the source of our joy, the Holy Father willingly imparts his blessing to you young people taking part in this gathering, to the Brothers of Taizé, and to all the people of Switzerland, France and Germany who have welcomed you.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State of His Holiness
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