The 46th European youth meeting of the Taizé ecumenical monastic community began in Ljubljana on Thursday with the participation of around five thousand young people from 48 countries of the world.
During the event, which lasts until January 1, young people belonging to different Christian denominations participate in multilingual joint prayers in churches and sports halls, discuss social issues, and celebrate New Year's Eve without alcohol.
In his greeting sent at the beginning of the conference, Pope Francis called on the participants to become bridge builders between peoples, cultures and religions.
May your dreams of love, justice and peace come true, the Pope wrote in his message, which was published on Thursday by Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
We live in difficult times, there are conflicts and wars all over the world, because no one listens to us anymore - stressed the Pope, who called on young people to build "a world of listening, dialogue and openness".
The traditional meeting of the Taizé community, which is always held at the turn of the year in another major European city, is now held in the Slovenian capital. According to the leader of the community operating in Taizé, France, it is because Ljubljana is "located at the meeting point of East and West, North and South".
Since 1978, the Taizé monastic community has been organizing a meeting for Christian European youth between the ages of 17 and 35.
The purpose of the youth meetings at the end of the year is to think together and pray together according to a predetermined theme, thereby strengthening dialogue and trust between nations.
Budapest hosted the meeting twice (in 1991 and 2001).
MTI
Cover image: The 46th Taizé youth meeting has started in Ljubljana
Source: Facebook/Taizé
