EUROPE/RUSSIA - Representatives of the Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian and Protestant churches participate in the Christian Youth Forum on the theme of the family

Thursday, 11 July 2024 oriental churches ecumenicalism youth family

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by Chiara Dommarco

Konevec (Agenzia Fides) - The third edition of the Christian Youth Forum, which was also attended by two Catholic women representing the Catholic Church in Russia, ended today on the island of Konevec, in the Leningrad region. The title "Young Christians and family values", chosen by the organizing committee for this year's edition, which began on July 8, refers to the theme envisaged at the federal level for 2024, namely the family as the fundamental cell of the social fabric.
Amid the natural beauty of the island, about 150 km from St. Petersburg, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Belarusian Orthodox Church, various Protestant churches and the Catholic Church, represented by Natal'ja Maslennikova and Anastasija Orlova, were able to exchange views on the subject with experts in the former men's monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
"I have been taking part in the annual forum since the first edition," Natal'ja told Fides, "and this year too I am impressed by the ease with which friendships are made among the participants. The working groups are mixed from a confessional point of view, which makes it easier to get to know each other: the differences that exist between us do not become an obstacle, but arouse mutual interest. And in this dialogue, friendships are born, one's horizons are broadened and new memories are created to which one can later return with one's thoughts."
The program was dense and varied, alternating between seminar lectures in the morning and workshops in the afternoon, in which comics and stand-up comedy on the theme of family were created and produced. Among the experts who led the workshops were Anna and Aleksandr Kuripko, a Catholic couple and parents of seven children who run the "Family Academy" project. The evenings were dedicated to getting to know each other, with questions and answers about their respective denominations and meditation on a verse from the Gospel. "For us Catholics, it is very important that there are such moments," continued Natal'ja, "because we live in a context where the majority of Christians are Orthodox, and therefore we often have relationships with them, at different levels and in many areas: at work, at school, in our free time and often also in the family, given the high number of mixed marriages".
In the two previous editions, the Christian Youth Forums had focused on the theme of online evangelization and charitable engagement in civil society. "I am sure that events like this help to heal the deep wounds of internal divisions within the Church: we have the hope that through experiences like this, the young generations of today will be at least one step closer to the original unity of the Church, as Jesus wanted it to be," concludes Natal'ja. (Agenzia Fides, 11/7/2024)