Active Christians of Europe how to act in the situation of secularized society

More than 150 active laymen, theologians, experts and priests of Europe take part in the Colloquium of European Parishes (CEP), which takes place on July 9-14 in Barcelona. The theme of the 29th Colloquium is “Christians of Europe - People of the Mission”. Ukraine at the congress is represented by members of the secular organizations of the UGCC (“Obnova”, “St Volodymyr’s Fund”), active parochial youth and Father Dr. Mychailo Dymyd. The work of the CEP is in the form of reports, group work, discussions.

The Colloquium participants are deciding which new ways Christians should seek to show their faith today, which should be their mission and the Church’s mission in the face of new social challenges - secularism, corruption, extremism, migration, aggression, and the degradation of Christian values.

Professor of Social Theology Bernard Könthard emphasized in the appeal to the participants of the Colloquium that the Church should develop its clear and active position in the changed Europe: “The Church needs to find new ways of influencing the modern society, it is necessary to form new communities in a new cultural and social environment. The Church must mobilize the youth and create a new community, react quickly to new threats, talk - go to action, to testify truly, because there are many who speak and few who really testify.”

During the discussions, the mission of a modern Christian is determined - to find their vocation in the Church and society, to bring people peace, love and justice.

The mission of a Christian is to represent God, to learn to cooperate, to jointly act, to reject individualism and to jointly carry Christian values in European society, to be active in parish life, to testify the Gospel not in words, but in the example of one's life and actions based on Christian values. The issues of the meaning of baptism, which means having responsibility before the Lord and people were touched upon. The main question that modern Christians have to convey to others - Why should I love God?

It was also determined that the mission of the Church was to go to people, to evangelize as Jesus did – to go further, to the goal. The church must look for new ways of catechism, because acting 40 years ago – no longer works. She must change, refresh himself and go to people, do not wait when they come to her. The church must adapt to new conditions and challenges.

Professor of Canon Law at the Faculty of Theology in Louvain, professor at the Catholic University of Paris, Alphonse Borras, outlined the contemporary role of the Church: “The Church is a mission in the hands of God, a community that has to prove that Jesus came to all. The Church must build relationships with the faithful, considering that the world has changed, people have become free, which means that it is necessary to build new church-social relations. We have to be an open-door church. The time has come for a profound change in the Church.”

The mission of the faithful in the Church was described by the speaker as follows: “Spirituality is to become a new meaning of life, people must identify themselves in the Church in a new way. Our role in the world is to be brothers and sisters in Christ who propagate the Christian values that Europe loses today. We, Christians, must make the world humane and tolerant to other religions.”

Participants in the CEP provide for parish visits, familiarization with their lives and achievements, joint prayers and liturgies. Young participants in the Colloquium have their own program.

CEF conferences are held every two years in different cities of Europe. Famous theologians, sociologists, experts, representatives of the clergy and faithful Catholic and Greek Catholic parishes of Europe take part in the Colloquium.

Each time at such meetings a new topic of discussion is presented, new decisions are made, but the purpose of them is one – to make the life of the Church and the faithful active in it, to exchange cultural and pastoral experiences and to disseminate new achievements of modern parish life.