It's always nice and important to meet other young people coming from different backgrounds. I would like to thank the speakers and the organizers of the hearing for the wise way they decided to guide the discussion.
It's indeed not always the case that the assumption of the hearing on youth was not only a plan for the revolution in the assembly. Yesterday we had the opportunity to hear about the situation of the young people involved in the churches at the local or national level. It's now maybe the time to rise again an idea already present in the preparation of the assembly and earlier in the ecumenical pilgrimage. Young people are natural and living links between the churches. Who among us would be interested in developing ecumenical partnership between parishes and local communities? I think all young people could be living bridges between international assemblies like EEA3 and the local life of the churches. And this is one of the biggest challenges for the Church.
My second point is about the last discussion we had yesterday. There is a statement coming out from the young delegates meeting in St Maurice (Switzerland) (see www.cec-kek.org). We had to organize how this statement could come into the plenary to be read and distributed. But some of the young delegates shortened this statement in order to have something sharper. Doing that, they damaged – I think – the whole process and the necessary consensus, just for internal strategically reasons. Last but not least, they put as title to the St Maurice statement: “message from the young delegates and the stewards”. Even if you had the honor to welcome 3 or 5 stewards among us yesterday, this statement was never discussed among the stewards. It's not a steward’s statement. I hate this attitude which steels the opinion of others just because they are young... it's a kind of segregation and not a respect of the personal dignity. The stewards have their own program, there are working as a team, they are able to speak by their own, and they even have ideas! Doing such things, some young delegates increase the gap between good will and reality: it's not a way to help the dialogue and increase the communion. And I wonder if it's the right attitude for possible future church leaders...
It's indeed not always the case that the assumption of the hearing on youth was not only a plan for the revolution in the assembly. Yesterday we had the opportunity to hear about the situation of the young people involved in the churches at the local or national level. It's now maybe the time to rise again an idea already present in the preparation of the assembly and earlier in the ecumenical pilgrimage. Young people are natural and living links between the churches. Who among us would be interested in developing ecumenical partnership between parishes and local communities? I think all young people could be living bridges between international assemblies like EEA3 and the local life of the churches. And this is one of the biggest challenges for the Church.
My second point is about the last discussion we had yesterday. There is a statement coming out from the young delegates meeting in St Maurice (Switzerland) (see www.cec-kek.org). We had to organize how this statement could come into the plenary to be read and distributed. But some of the young delegates shortened this statement in order to have something sharper. Doing that, they damaged – I think – the whole process and the necessary consensus, just for internal strategically reasons. Last but not least, they put as title to the St Maurice statement: “message from the young delegates and the stewards”. Even if you had the honor to welcome 3 or 5 stewards among us yesterday, this statement was never discussed among the stewards. It's not a steward’s statement. I hate this attitude which steels the opinion of others just because they are young... it's a kind of segregation and not a respect of the personal dignity. The stewards have their own program, there are working as a team, they are able to speak by their own, and they even have ideas! Doing such things, some young delegates increase the gap between good will and reality: it's not a way to help the dialogue and increase the communion. And I wonder if it's the right attitude for possible future church leaders...
My third point is totally different. As a lay protestant delegate, I'm “checked” every morning at the entrance of the plenary tent (like at the airport). Today, I was not allowed to go in the tent because of my Swiss knife... For a Swiss delegate, it's not so pleasant... Be sure it was not my intention to make the revolution... except if we consider the prayer as the only real revolution.... and I do.
3 comments:
hey -
just a short comment from a formal point of view (as could be expected): yes, stewards have own opinions and some them read and then appreciated and signed the short message.
But what is more interesting: What did you do with your Swiss knife? Smuggle it in with a Steward or with a Bishop? ;-)
So, three or four out a hundred persons group are enough to stick labels and put words in mouth of everybody else?
Well, now that I know, I will go and look for some people signing me a declaration of eternal power and might, a few different delegates, and I could just be appointed as WORLD EMPEROR!!
P.S. They didn't stop Benoit because of the knife, but because it was a Suisse Post knife!! Come on, what are you supposed to do with a Post knife? Stick stamps on President Barroso? It's still true that Switzerland is not an EU country :P
Surely the intention of the young delegates to summarize the message (whether or not to "sharpen it") could better be told by themselves then by someone who strongly opposed the whole message (even the long version) already in St.Maurice...but it's good to see that everybody is free to change their opinion.
What I agree on very much is that we should all respect the difference between our respective status as delegates and as stewards - mixing our responsibilities by switching back and forth in both camps has visibly led to some confusion not least in the minds of some of the bloggers in this forum.
Greetings from the tent,
Dirk
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