23/04/2004

The Word From Rome
'New movements' congress in Stuttgart

Say "new movements" to most Catholics in the Anglo-Saxon world, and they�re likely to think "conservative". This is in part because the movements are not especially well-established in English-speaking zones, so most Catholics know them only indirectly, either by reputation or from media images. Those groups with the highest public profile - Opus Dei, the Legionaries of Christ, or the Neocatechumenate - tend to seem "conservative" to outside observers.

(To be accurate, Opus Dei is a personal prelature, the Legionaries are a religious community, and the Neocatechumenate is a catechetical path, so none considers itself a "movement". But in public parlance, all three are seen as part of the broader phenomena of new groups within the Catholic church in the 20th century).

The danger with this perception is that the movements will be ideologized, as if being sympathetic to the movements means siding with one faction or another in the church�s post-Vatican II cultural wars.

This is not how things seem from Rome, in part because some of the most active and visible movements here are not "conservative", at least in the narrow, political sense. The Community of Sant�Egidio, for example, was born on the Catholic left amid the student protests of 1968, and the Focolare movement has always prioritized ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue as expressions of its guiding idea of the unity of the human family. Watching Sant�Egidio and Focolare work, it is impossible to regard the new movements as inhabiting a particular ideological niche.

Clear proof of the point will come May 8, when Sant�Egidio and Focolare will be among the main sponsors of a congress in Stuttgart, Germany, of Christian movements, communities and groups born in European countries before and after World War II.

More than 10,000 people are expected to take part, making it the largest gathering of church movements in history. These predominantly lay movements come out of the Evangelical, Lutheran, Orthodox and Catholic churches and the Anglican Communion. All are committed to dialogue, and to "generate an authentic life of the Gospel." More than 200 movements will participate, some 50 Catholic groups among them.

In addition to the physical gathering in Stuttgart, the May 8 event will also be beamed live to 41 locations all over Europe, allowing thousands of other people to take part via satellite.

On Thursday, the Italian founders of Sant�Egidio, Andrea Riccardi, and of Focolare, Chiara Lubich, met with reporters in Rome to present the Stuttgart initiative. Three weeks earlier, a few of us in Rome had a briefing session with representatives of both movements to talk about the Stuttgart project.

In keeping with the ecumenical thrust, we met at the Anglican Center in Rome and were welcomed by Bishop John Flack, the Archbishop of Canterbury�s envoy to the Holy See, as well as a long-time friend of the Focolare.

It would be logical to see the Stuttgart gathering against the backdrop of debate over a new European constitution, and the oft-voiced demand of Christian leaders, above all John Paul II, that this document contain an explicit reference to the Christian roots of Europe. Organizers, however, insist that Stuttgart is not a political rally in this sense, intended to lobby for a particular platform or set of issues.

"We are not a political party seeking to influence certain decisions," said Paolo Ciani from Sant�Egidio. "Even on the constitution, there are diverse positions inside the movements that will participate." Carla Cotignoli, a spokesperson for Focolare, said the guiding idea of the Stuttgart gathering is to "give a gift of hope to Europe, without asking anything."

"We want to manifest fraternity and an openness of 365 degrees to all, without new ghettoes," Cotignoli said.

Another way to read the Stuttgart event would be as an attempt at a Christian "reconquest" of Europe in the context of growing religious diversity, especially fueled by Islamic immigration. That interpretation too was rejected by organizers.

"We will speak about openness and welcome for the Muslim world," Cotignoli said. "This is a first step, and we want to see what point we�re at as Christians."

"This is not a violent affirmation of Christian identity," Ciani said. "We are probably the part of Europe most open, most sensitive to other religious, especially to the Jewish tradition and to dialogue with the Muslim world.

John L. Allen