OSV News – More than 10,000 young Christians from across Europe joined thousands of young French people in Paris Dec. 28-Jan. 1 to take part in the European meeting of the Taizé community, which is held every year in a different European city around New Year.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message of “cordial greetings and the assurance of his spiritual closeness” to the youth in Paris as the meeting was opening through Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“Your gathering constitutes a new stage in the ‘Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth’ initiated by Brother Roger almost half a century ago in this very city of Paris. The Holy Father is delighted to know you are gathered in a city marked by a rich religious heritage, shaped over the centuries by the luminous witness of so many figures of holiness who, each in their own way, boldly responded to the call of Christ,” Cardinal Parolin wrote Dec. 27.
Referring to the letter written for the 2025 meeting by Taizé’s Prior Brother Matthew, titled “What are you looking for?” Cardinal Parolin said it “resonates with an essential question that dwells in the heart of every human being.
“The Holy Father invites you not to fear this question, but to bear it in prayer and silence, convinced that Christ walks beside you and allows himself to be found by those who seek him with a sincere heart.”
He said as the year is “marked by so many trials for our human family” – “the generous hospitality you are receiving in Paris from believers of all backgrounds and people of goodwill is a powerful message to the world.”
Based in Burgundy, France, the Taizé community is unique in that it brings together 80 brothers who are Catholic, Protestant, or Anglican, and who, despite their diversity, share a fraternal life of Christian community, consisting of work and prayer. They come from 27 different countries.
The community was founded in 1944 by a Swiss Protestant pastor, Roger Schutz-Marsauche, who settled in the village of Taizé, France, a few miles from the ruins of the thousand-year-old Benedictine Abbey of Cluny. Soon joined by other brothers, he was received by Pius XII in 1949, and then regularly by all subsequent Popes. In 1969, the first Catholic brother joined the community, with the blessing of the Bishop of Autun, in whose diocese the village of Taizé is located.
After the death of Brother Roger in 2005, a German Catholic, Brother Alois, became prior, and, since the end of 2023, Brother Matthew, a British Anglican, followed him in that role. “I joined Taizé in 1986,” he told OSV News, “just after John Paul II visited the community.”
In the Jubilee Year, Brother Matthew has already met Pope Leo several times, notably during the Youth Jubilee in Rome, during which the brothers of Taizé led hours of prayer for young people, in the basilica Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, on the Capitol Hill in Rome.
“Welcoming young people is one of our ministries in Taizé,” Brother Matthew explained. “Every year, we welcome thousands of them to Taizé. Many come for their confirmation retreat, often with their bishop. They often later share how powerful their experience of faith was here.”
Since 1978, nearly two million young people have participated in the European meetings organized by Taizé each year around New Year’s.
The Archdiocese of Paris, along with the Protestant Federation and the Orthodox Church of France, invited young people to come to Paris in 2025 “to bear Christian witness to unity in the heart of a world ravaged by so many tragedies and crises.”
“We would like to give, together with all of you, witness to a unity lived in diversity reconciled in Christ,” they wrote.
Catholic Brother Benoît, who joined Taizé in 2005, helped coordinate the preparations. He worked with teams of volunteers and a network of more than 170 parishes. “We have exceeded 10,000 registrations from abroad,” he told OSV News.
“These young people from other countries will be staying with parishioners in the Paris region,” he added. “This homestay experience is always very enriching for the young people, as well as for the families who open their doors to them.”
Every morning starts with a time of prayer in the parishes, centered on Gospel readings, moments of silent contemplation, and meditative songs. The prayers of Taizé are known for the beauty of their liturgical songs, which many French parishes use for Sunday Mass.
At noon, large numbers of young people gather in Paris’ iconic Churches, including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre, for a moment of communal prayer. In the afternoon, conferences, round tables, and workshops are offered throughout the French capital, with a final communal prayer at Palais Omnisports de l’Accor Arena stadium.
The profiles of participants are varied. “Some have been deeply committed to their faith journey for years,” Brother Matthew said. “Others are newcomers, or are returning to the faith after having left it. Some are just coming out of curiosity, attracted by friends. Everyone is welcome, provided they are willing to participate in the group in the spirit of encounter that is characteristic of Taizé.”
Among them are nearly 1,200 Ukrainians. “Their presence and their witness to what they are currently experiencing will inevitably have a significant impact on the meeting,” Brother Benoît pointed out. The evening of Dec. 31 will be dedicated to a special prayer vigil for peace.
This year’s meeting will focus on the question of Christ, following the leading question: “What are you looking for?”
“The desire that each of us has in our hearts is very important,” Brother Matthew explained. “It is in the heart of this desire that Christ meets each one of us.”
For Brother Matthew, the European Taizé meetings “are in themselves a sign of unity and reconciliation.”
“We are called to hope beyond all hope,” he explained.
“These days will have a profound impact on the young people who experience them. We will live them rooted in prayer and listening to the Word of God. And when this is the case, you can feel that something is possible within these encounters, because God is present and the Holy Spirit is at work.”
Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.
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