Jean Vanier, a True Builder of Religious Unity
Seven hundred people representing eight Christian denominations gathered in Lviv, Ukraine, for a three-day retreat with the founder of L'Arche and Faith and Light.
The retreat brought together approximately seven hundred people from eight of the nine Christian denominations present in the region. They met on neutral ground—the Lviv Veterinary Academy—with approval from their respective religious authorities, on one condition: the retreat would focus on spirituality, common ground among all the churches. Three Orthodox denominations were represented (Moscow Patriarchate, Kiev Patriarchate, and Autocephalous), three Protestant denominations (Baptists, Pentecostals, and Seventh-day Adventists), two Catholic rites (Roman and Byzantine), and the Armenian Church. The organizers chose their common ground carefully: songs from Taizé (translated into Ukrainian for the occasion), the Lord's Prayer, and the Psalms. In small groups, they would focus on a single theme: mercy and love for the poor—the very heart of L'Arche spirituality, where one learns to "step down" and follow Jesus.
A Bold Undertaking
After communism's collapse and the return of the Greek Catholic Church to public life, the Christian denominations had no precedent and little opportunity to gather at the grassroots level. Most believed such an event was premature, if not impossible. Collective memory, still scarred by recent violence in villages—sometimes ending in murder—left communities paralyzed by fear. The organizers could easily have abandoned their vision of an interdenominational retreat where no single church would dominate and where religious differences would remain unspoken. It would have been simpler to organize a Greek Catholic retreat, since that church is predominant here and has ready-made structures—particularly two youth movements, "Obnova" and "Youth for Christ Ukraine." The Greek Catholic chancellery offered generous, discreet support.
Yet old labels still cling to each church, unchallenged by public opinion. The Orthodox Church tied to the Moscow Patriarchate, numerically the largest in Ukraine, remains branded as "the Russian Church" or the church of the KGB and Soviet secret police. The Orthodox Church under the Kiev Patriarchate is no longer officially recognized by Greek Catholics or other Orthodox, because its leader, Metropolitan Filaret, is compromised by his KGB connections, his conduct, and his excommunication by the Moscow Patriarchate. When people speak of the Autocephalous Orthodox, they emphasize their "non-canonical" and nationalist character. Greek Catholics are accused of being the greatest obstacle to church unity and of their own nationalism. Roman Catholics are often called "Polish" and "Latinizers." As for the various Protestant churches, Greek Catholics and Orthodox alike tend to dismiss them as "sects."
Words of Comfort
Vanier's retreat exposed these labels as shallow. The peace and joy that filled the three days were eloquent testimony to the ecumenical vocation of the poor.
The founder of L'Arche spoke words that melted the ice in the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Ukrainian people, in their devastation and discord, needed to hear words of comfort. They needed to hear that "Jesus, beaten, struck down, despised, walks from poverty to poverty and comes to reach us in our poverty." They needed to hear that "often it is where we are poorest that God comes to create the most beautiful things." A nation seeking to govern itself at every level needed to be told that "a hunger for power can hide even in our decision to follow Jesus."
Against all expectations, participation in common prayer—Saturday in an Orthodox church of the Kiev Patriarchate, Sunday in a Greek Catholic church—drew huge crowds. Some Greek Catholic nuns had debated for an hour whether to attend a service in an Orthodox church. In the end they came, and heard Bishop Andrii Horak invite them to "redirect the energy once spent on interdenominational struggles toward joint action to help the poor and disabled." The only disappointment was the absence of the Autocephalous Orthodox. Ten days before, Bishop Anthony of the Kiev Patriarchate had suspended Archbishop Peter, who leads the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Lviv, and excommunicated Bohdan Rujak, head of a young Autocephalous group.
The retreat's most important result was the desire of many denominations to establish a Faith and Light community within their own church. Vanier said: "So groups from different churches will gather from time to time to celebrate their unity."
Marguerite Peeters, 1996
(correspondent for La Libre Belgique, based in Lviv)
The Second Step: Confirmation
Acerra: We are the Faith and Light community Emanuel of Acerra, Naples, and we want to share with all readers of Ombre e Luci the beautiful experience of twelve young people in our community. Prepared by Sister Tana of Nazareth, they received the sacrament of Confirmation on June 3, 1995, at the Church of Saint Alfonso in Acerra.
With steady devotion and simplicity, Tana taught them catechism last year to prepare them for their First Communion, and this year to bring them to Confirmation. We believe the task was never difficult for her—being herself a person of quiet availability, simple in manner, and completely at ease with the little ones.
The Mass was celebrated by our Bishop, Don Antonio Riboldi, and we were all deeply moved by his presence and his full participation in the special moments of our celebration. The most beautiful thing was that he even sang along with us, mimicking the words and gestures. Don Giancarlo Petrella, pastor of Saint Alfonso Church (which our community adopted as our parish home), concelebrated with us, along with Father Enrico Cattaneo, spiritual director of the "Burning Bush" community in Naples. He was accompanied by Maurizio Manca, our regional coordinator.
We want to tell you about certain moments of the Mass that were deeply meaningful and rich with symbolism. As each young person approached the Bishop for Confirmation, they carried a red cardboard heart on their chest—a sign of the renewed heart—with their name written on it. Each child met the Holy Spirit with real seriousness, humility, and such joy that it shone on their faces.
The Mass ended with our "Community Song," but that was not the end. In the parish hall, a huge celebration waited—with an enormous cake.
It was a beautiful ceremony, prepared with care and simplicity in an atmosphere of perfect harmony. Everyone worked together: organizing songs, readings, posters, symbols. The celebration itself was organized by the team from the "Rainbow Workshop," a cooperative for social solidarity where the young people gather every day.
This event was a deeply important milestone for our community, for the young people, for their parents, and for Sister Tana.