CCEE’s Symposium on young people concludes in Barcelona

This morning saw the conclusion of the Symposium in Barcelona on accompanying young people, organised by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE). The meeting, which began last Tuesday, 28 March, was attended by 275 experts from all over Europe who work for the Bishops’ Conferences in the various sectors linked with accompanying young people: Youth, Vocations, University, School and Catechesis. Along with interventions from experts in the area of accompaniment, there was an opportunity for exchanges of experiences and ‘good practice’ among the various movements present and European pastoral initiatives, as well as testimonies from young people.
The highlight of the liturgical celebrations was the Mass celebrated in the Basilica of the ‘Sagrada Familia’ yesterday afternoon, with the main celebrant Cardinal Bagnasco, President of CCEE. Immediately before the celebration, two experts in the work of Gaudí, the sculptor Etsuro Sotoo and the theologian Armando Puig, introduced those present to the path of beauty aimed at the evangelisation of young people, followed by a guided tour of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.

Looking towards the 2018 Synod on young people and vocations

This morning, the Archbishop of Barcelona, Mgr Juan José Omella Omella, presided at Mass and Lauds. During his homily, he thanked the speakers for their presence and their work and he invited participants to follow the model of Emmaus in accompanying young people, listening to them and recommending to them the following of Christ.

Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, spoke in the first morning session, outlining the preparatory work on the Synod for young people and vocations which will be held in October next year. Explaining the synodal process and its various stages, Cardinal Baldisseri first recalled the publication of the Preparatory Document containing a questionnaire, which is addressed to the whole Church. According to the answers that will be given, the Synod of Bishops will elaborate the Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) which will be offered to the Synod Fathers to serve as a basis of their discussions. Pending the working document, Cardinal Baldisseri announced that soon the Synod will make public a website address (www.sinodogiovani2018.va) containing a questionnaire addressed directly to all young people.
Subsequentlz, five participants – one for each pastoral area – reported on their experience during the Symposium whilst indicating some challenges.

Conclusions of the Symposium

The conclusions of the Symposium were then entrusted to the Archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, President of CCEE, who focussed on the figure of the educator and his or her educative mission in the current context, characterised by a “culture of nothing”. According to the CCEE President, the Christian educator must above all look towards Jesus, the one and true teacher. If contemporary culture “seems to have nothing to say to young people, nothing significant which excites the heart and fills life”, then in the person of Jesus “all the human virtues shine out in an eminent fashion, the full humanity of the human person shines out, that humanity which our era risks no longer recognising, reducing the person to a liquid form”. The CCEE President ended the meeting with a final appeal to the youth of Europe: “We look to the young generations with great sympathy and trust; it will be up to us to be the new evangelisers, convinced that to evangelise today means teaching people the art of living! Our time is splendidly demanding, it is the time Providence has given us, let us embrace it with trust and love (…). Yes, we want to live it well starting by changing ourselves and helping each other”.

Evangelisation and good practice in the context of the CCEE Symposium on young people in Barcelona

The third session of the Symposium on young people taking place in Barcelona (28-31 March) tackled the theme of Evangelisation and focussed on the sharing of experiences and good practice in the spiritual accompaniment of young people to respond freely to Christ’s call.
Accompanying to evangelise

Cardinal Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation, began the session with a reflection entitled ‘Evangelisation and good examples of accompaniment’. In his address he stated that “to accompany is the same as to lead the person into the most profound depths of their own being, to discover the presence of a call to truth, the keystone to achieving freedom, which enables us to go beyond ourselves in order to entrust ourselves completely to a mysterious plan of God which brings meaning and significance to personal existence”. Vocations are not based on the qualities one possesses, in fact, it is the contrary: the correspondence to vocation lies in giving value and support to what is already there. To help to discover the primacy of God in our lives and the power of his grace are the means by which we are able to contribute consciously to guiding our existence.

Exhibition of good practice

After the break, in one of the cloisters of the meeting-place, there was an exhibition accompanying initiatives undertaken in Europe by youth movements, religious congregations and dioceses and aimed at encouraging the exchange of proposals and suggestions. This exhibition of good practice was organised according to a dual criteria: to be constructive in the accompaniment of young people and to allow them to be repeated in other socio-cultural contexts in the European environment.

Subsequently, some small group work took place, looking towards the Synod on young people which will take place in Rome in October 2018. Participants in the working groups expressed a series of proposals for the Synod. Lunch enabled the exchange of ideas to continue, since the tables were organised on the basis of sector interests (young people, catechesis, university, vocations and teaching).

Sagrada Familia: beauty, art, architecture and liturgy

The afternoon session was held at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, the city of Barcelona’s great religious work realised by the architect Antonio Gaudí, still unfinished although open for worship since 7 November 2010, the date of its consecration by Benedict XVI. In this context, there was a round table discusssion with the participation of Fr Michel Remery, researcher in the Department of Liturgy and Architecture in the School of Catholic Theology in the University of Tilburg; Armand Puig i Tàrrech, Rector of the University Athenaeum Sant Pacià in Barcelona; and Etsuro Sotoo, sculptor of Gaudí’s work.

In his intervention, Fr Michel Remery spoke about the accompaniment of young people through art and architecture and liturgy. “Beauty”, said Fr Michel Remery, “art and architecture, including liturgy, speak a powerful language which can be understood without the need for further explanations. They speak for themselves: they are there to be experienced, and, therefore, to help people to journey along the path towards God”.

After the academic session, a tour of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia was organised, ending at 7.30 p.m. with the celebration of Mass, with Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa and CCEE President, as the main celebrant.
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Information for the media

Media Office: located in the Pere Tarres room in the Seminary.

Briefing. Friday 30 March at 1100, a briefing with Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, President of CCEE

Accompaniment and the one who accompanies – today’s focus at the CCEE Symposium on young people in Barcelona

The Symposium on young people which is being held from 28-31 March in Barcelona, organised by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE), and by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, met for its second day on 29 March 2017. The focus was on accompaniment (the morning session) and the one who accompanies (the afternoon session).
The experience of being accompanied
The CCEE Vice-President, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, presided at the celebration of Lauds at the start of the day at 9.00 a.m.
Immediately afterwards, at 9.30 a.m., the first session began, with the title: Young people and accompaniment. The first speaker was Jona Draçini (Albania), a Muslim convert to Christianity, who said, inter alia, “I am sure that Jesus Christ has embraced every human heart, those who have lived in the past, those alive today and all the others who will live in the future”. Mate Szaplonczay (Hungary), a Greek-Catholic rite seminarian, underlined the “importance of listening. Young people want to be heard and asked for their opinions”, and so they need good examples and support “in the creation of parish groups and small communities”. There were also interventions from Carlota Cumella (Spain), a member of a parish group; and Simon Janssen (Holland), from the Emmanuel Community, who highlighted how “friendship helped me to understand that even if I was the only Catholic in my institution, I was not alone: there were many friends with whom I knew we were living the same things”. These four young people, from the perspective of the different European contexts to which they belonged, offered their reflections on accompaniment starting from their own experiences of being accompanied.
Subsequently, there was a round table discusssion on personal accompaniment, an accompaniment which must continue for the whole of life. The session was chaired by Mgr Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg. In his introduction, he said that “this is the mission which the Church shares with Christ: to help people save themselves. As bishop, as priest and as layperson, I must work for the salvation of the people I meet and with the people God brings me to meet”. Participating in the subsequent discusssion were experts from each of the areas involved in the Symposium: Agnė Pinigienė (catechesis), Ernesto Diaco (school), Šimo Maršić (university), Paul Metzlaf (young people) and Christopher Jamison (vocations).
The morning session ended with the celebration of Mass, at which we prayed in particular for vocations. For this reason, the main celebrant at the Mass was Mgr Oscar Cantoni, Bishop of Como and President of the CCEE Commission for vocations. During the celebration, vocation testimonies were given by a female religious and a seminary student.

The one who accompanies

What is needed for good accompaniment? How can we be open and respectful of human freedom whilst also leading and guiding? Responding to these questions in the first part of the afternoon session was Sr Lola Arrieta, of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity and member of the Ruaj’s équipe. In her intervention, she emphasised that “young people are not looking for accompaniment, but when you go to meet them, they accept our accompaniment and are surprised by it: ‘I didn’t know you could share’… If they really find witnesses in us, sooner or later we will succeed in being in dialogue with them (…) “Emmaus is today the paradigm of the Church going to the margins”, she concluded.
At the end of this session, three videos were shown which recounted respectively the experience of some parents from England, the testimony of the trainer of the Portuguese football team, Fernando Santos, and that of a scout leader in Romania.
The day’s work ended with the meeting of language groups, an opportunity for sharing experiences and seeking together new paths to tackle accompaniment.
Prayer Vigil

Wednesday will end with a Prayer Vigil in the parish of Santa Ana, scheduled to begin at 7.45 p.m. For this we will be joined by young people from Barcelona, who are the organisers of this celebration.

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Information for the media

Media Office: is located in the Pere Tarres room in the Seminary.

Briefing: Thursday 30 March with representatives of ecclesial movements as Communion and Liberation, Focolare Movement, Salesians of Saint Bosco and Emmanuel.

The Symposium on accompanying young people begins in Barcelona

From this afternoon Barcelona has become the centre of the Symposium organised by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE), and by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, to reflect on, discuss and examine in depth the theme of accompanying young people.

The meeting, which will last unitl Friday 31 March, brings together 275 experts in the pastoral care of young people, schools and universities, and vocational and catechetical work, from the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. They are accompanied by 32 bishops, four of whom are Cardinals.

“He walked by their side (Luke 24:15). Accompanying young people to respond freely to Christ’s call” is the overall theme of the Symposium. It will be devloped through three areas of work: the person being accompanied (examined on Tuesday), accompaniment and the one who accompanies (which will be the focus of work on Wednesday). Thursday will see an exchange of experiences of good practice in the area of accompaniment and a visit to the “Sagrada Familia”.

Opening session

The opening session was held in the Aula Magna of Barcelona’s seminary, with interventions from Cardinals Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and Vice-president of CCEE; from Cardinal Cañizares, Archbishop of Valencia and Vice-president of CEEE; and from the Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Mgr Omella.

Mgr Omella welcomed all the participants to Barcelona, “this open and cosmopolitan city”, for a meeting which proposes the idea of accompanying: “It is a real challenge. To accompany means, in a certain sense, being ‘educators’ in the most profound sense of the word educere: to be capable of helping those whom we accompany to get the best out of themselves”.
Immediately afterwards a message from the CCEE President, Cardinal Bagnasco, was read. He shared with participants some reflections which Pope Francis gave in his audience with Heads of State last week: “Walking together is possible and better. It is also essential in an ever more globalised world where to divide us means losing the way. … This is true for all the components of the continent and of the European Union, naturally beginning with the young people who are the future of life”.

Pope Francis sent a greeting addressed to the Archbishop of Barcelona, Msgr. Ornella, in which he encourages participants “to lead a reflection on the challenges of evangelization and on the accompaniment of young people so that, through dialogue and encounter, and how living members of the family of Christ, young people are convinced bearers of the joy of the Gospel in all areas”.

Cardinal Nichols said primarily that Europe is not just the European Union. The CCEE includes all countries of the continent and it is worth to remember, perhaps especially to the majority of young Europeans, that the experience of living in Europe is not easy, it’s not comfortable, it is not stable for those who come to Europe from the East.

For his part, Cardinal Cañizares highlighted how in the Church “we are driven to accompany young people to the encounter with Christ who is walking with them even if they do not know it or do not perceive it, and shares their journey”. At the same time, he said that “young people have, at heart, a great ideal, an irrespressible longing: that life may be something great and good, which does not delude”.

Accompaniment today in Europe

After the opening session, we listened to the first intervention, entrusted to Mgr Jedraszewski, Archbishop of Krakow, and President of CCEE’s Catechesis, School and University Commission, with a presentation entitled: Jesus on the way to Emmaus – accompaniment in Europe today.

Immediately afterwards, a group of young people from the Archdiocese of Barcelona gave a multimedia presentation on the challenges, problems, hopes and joys of young people today in Europe.

The day ended with the celebration of Mass and Vespers presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster.

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Information for the media

New location. From Wednesday, the Media Office will be located in the “Pere Tarres” room in the Seminary (the room adjacent to the one used today).

Briefing. Wednesday 29 March.

A meeting is scheduled for 1300 between journalists and Raquel Pérez, responsible for the organisation of the event on behalf of the Spanish Bishops’ Conferences and director of the Conference’s Secretariat for Universities. Dr Pérez will also be present at the briefing.

A Symposium in twelve points

While in Barcelona feverish preparations are under way for the European Symposium on the accompaniment of young people, in the last few months, the over 250 participants have been working on the big event scheduled for the end of this month (March 28 through 31) by means of an educational aid in twelve points. Some of its topics: 1) Jesus and the accompaniment; 2) Christian enthusiasm and the will of God; 3) Difference and relationship; 4) Identity and life; 5) Community and family; 6) Family and Church; 7) Hope and fullness of life; 8) Joy and life; 9) Young people and their vocabularies; 10) Accompanying and Holy Spirit; 11) Examination of conscience and testimony; 12) Evangelization and Christ.

The document is the result of extensive consultation. In September 2015, a committee made up of representatives of five pastoral areas (catechesis, school, university, youth, and vocations) met in Malta and drew up a document which was then discussed during the first half of 2016 in separate meetings with the national delegates of the five areas. As many as possible of their comments were then integrated in the final document, drawn up in Madrid by another small committee representing the five pastoral areas.

Please find the aid on the Symposium website (symposium2017.ccee.eu).

“Young people are crucial to the life of the Church and society! They have many gifts to share and that we should give value to: dedication, creativity, generosity, desire to get to know and welcome the other persons, or rather, a great desire to love and to be loved, to know the truth and adhere to it. They believe they can change the world, and it is right and good that they believe it…,” says Msgr. Duarte da Cunha, Secretary General of CCEE, who adds: “Accompanying young people thus becomes a beautiful mission that Jesus has entrusted to us. It means for the one who accompanies, to follow the light of God along with young people. The life of the persons who accompany them does not need to be perfect, but they must look at God and live the present moment with commitment. Thus, even when a young person is to go beyond an obstacle, the one who accompanies will be able to give him/her a direction, a new perspective that may also become an attractive proposal, in contrast to consumerism that is unable to fill the human heart. The action of loving young people leads to testify by words and deeds that it is worthwhile going ahead, what is good and what is bad, and what is true happiness. There is, in fact, no greater joy for an educator than seeing that the young person has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and that he/she becomes conscious of being able to freely give his/her life for others as well as to become in turn a true witness and guide for others.  This means that we must take care not only of young people but also of the families and the communities, in order to make them increasingly ready to help and enthused by this mission to show Christ and walk with Him. This is why, in Barcelona, ​​the program will include moments of prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist, during which we will pray for vocations (Wednesday 29) and for the family (Thursday 30).”

A vigil of prayer of the young people of Barcelona for the young people across all Europe

In the evening of Wednesday, March 29, at 7.45 pm at the Church of St. Anne (Plazoleta de Santa Ana, 29 – 08002 Barcelona), the young people of the diocesan youth ministry service will animate a prayer vigil. This vigil was conceived as an evening of prayer for the youth of Europe, with some testimonies interspersed with moments of worship and singing. At the end, the young animators from Barcelona will meet with participants in a moment of conviviality.

The speakers

During the Symposium, a number of speakers will take turns to share with the participants their reflections around the theme of the meeting.

The speakers, all of them top level, will represent bodies of the Vatican, bodies of CCEE, or bodies of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in charge of the youth ministry. Of course, even young people themselves will give their contribution. Please find the speakers’ list on the Symposium website.

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Information for the Press

Journalists who are interested in covering the meeting may apply for accreditation before March 24 on this webpage: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/

Warning: Access to the meeting room and the press room will be exclusively allowed to accredited journalists who will receive a special badge. Please pay attention to the requirements for participation on: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/

A Press Conference to introduce the event will take place on March 24th at 11:30 am at the Seminario Conciliar (Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona).

Our speakers: H. Ex. Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Msgr. Gil Tamayo, Secretary General of the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of the CCEE and organizer of the Symposium.

The journalists who wish to participate on-site and receive a press kit, are kindly invited to specify this request when applying for accreditation or send an email to: media@ccee.eu

The press conference will be re-transmitted live streaming on the following website: symposium2017.ccee.eu

In Barcelona Best Practices to accompany young people

After registrations to the European Symposium on the accompaniment of young people, to be held in Barcelona from the 28th to the 31st of March, have been closed, the Council of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) – the European bishops’ body that is organizing the meeting in collaboration with the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Barcelona – launches the Fair of Best Practices, scheduled for Thursday, March 29.
In these days, the CCEE is collecting several initiatives that affect different areas of pastoral care (catechism, vocational follow-up, youth ministry …) and have been well received among young people.
“With this Fair of Best Practices we want to show the dynamism and creativity of the Church in Europe,” says Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of CCEE and organizer of the Symposium, who adds: “These are often initiatives that are launched and promoted by young people themselves. This is a clear sign that young people are not only users of these services, they are rather the main protagonists of their own pastoral care, if properly accompanied. In Barcelona, participants will have the opportunity to find a source of inspiration in the initiatives that will be introduced and to take home new ideas. In addition, as we observed that Europe is full of modern and attractive proposals that challenge today’s youth, we want the Symposium to become an occasion to confirm and renew with enthusiasm and courage the commitment of the many people who will be there to accompany young people.”
Among the many initiatives that participants will be informed about in Barcelona in the context of the Fair of Best Practices, we would like to mention the following ones. “Valerie und der Priester” (Valerie and the priest), the activity followed monthly on Facebook by more than 1.3 million people about a young German journalist who has been accompanying and observing the life of a young priest for one year. From Malta, “Prayer spaces school,” which helps children and young people to explore the issues of life, spirituality, and faith in a dynamic and interactive context. From France, “L’appel” (The call), that promotes a dialogue with young people on the importance of finding one’s vocation in life, through moments of reflection and discussion addressed to groups of students and young people, animated by adult members of the youth ministry and vocation ministry.
(Please find these best practices and many more, along with many other pieces of information, on the website: symposium2017.ccee.eu).
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Information for the Press
Journalists who are interested in covering the meeting may apply for accreditation before March 24 on this webpage: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/
Warning: Access to the meeting room and the press room will be exclusively allowed to accredited journalists who will receive a special badge. Please pay attention to the requirements for participation on: http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/
A Press Conference to introduce the event will take place on March 24th at 11:30 am at the Seminario Conciliar (Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona).
Our speakers: H. Ex. Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona; Msgr. Gil Tamayo, Secretary General of the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and Fr. Michel Remery, Deputy Secretary General of the CCEE and organizer of the Symposium.
The journalists who wish to participate on-site and receive a press kit, are kindly invited to specify this request when applying for accreditation or send an email to: media@ccee.eu
The press conference will be re-transmitted live streaming on the following website: symposium2017.ccee.eu

The accompaniment of the young at the core of the forthcoming CCEE Symposium in Barcelona

Press Release nr. 01/17
St. Gallen, February 28, 2017

For Immediate Release

About 200 participants, including bishops and persons in charge of the pastoral care for youth, school, university, vocations, and catechesis of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in Europe will meet on March, 28-31, 2017, in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss and share on the issue of the accompaniment of young people.

The Symposium, entitled He walked by their side (Lk 24:15) – Accompanying young people to freely respond to Christ’s call, is promoted by the Council of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) in collaboration with the Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Barcelona. The meeting, which will also be attended by representatives of lay associations and ecclesial movements, will be an opportunity to reflect together on the way we can accompany the youth, in their unity as complete persons and in their journey of faith.

In addition to the greetings of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster (Vice-President of CCEE), and Msgr. Juan José Omella Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​as well as the contributions of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa (President of CCEE), and Msgr. Marek Jedraszewski, Archbishop of Krakow, President of the CCEE Commission for Catechesis, School, and University, the participants will have the opportunity to listen to the reflections and testimonies of several national directors and young people.

A journey in three stages

In Barcelona, ​​the work will include a path in three stages that, starting with young people, will continue with a reflection on the challenges of accompaniment in the light of the current European socio-cultural context, and will conclude on the figure of those who accompany young people, their education, their needs… These three stages will be later explored through a sharing of “best practices” among the participants and a presentation-visit to the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, as an example of the proclamation of the Gospel and a way of accompanying people through art and architecture.

The Symposium will also include several moments of prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist.

The main objective of the Meeting is to recognize the crucial role of accompanying young people and propose a reflection to the European Church. The CCEE will make national delegates from various specialized pastoral areas of the entire European continent (catechesis, school, university, and vocations) work together on a single subject: the accompaniment of young people to respond freely to Christ’s call by taking as an example the pattern of “He walked by their side” (Lk 24:15) proposed by Jesus in the episode of his encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35).

In preparation for the 2018 Synod

After the preparatory document “Young People, Faith, and Vocation Discernment” and while waiting for the distribution of the questionnaire of the Synod of Bishops (Holy See) addressed to young people from all around the world, this European Symposium is a significant step in the journey that will lead the Church to celebrate in October 2018 a Synod on the theme of youth and vocations.

The outcome of Barcelona will be taken directly to the Synod and will serve as a basis for reflection in the next Plenary Assembly of the CCEE (Minsk, September 28 – October 1, 2017) that will be focused on the issue of young people. In fact, the CCEE wants to offer to the Synod Fathers its own specific contribution.

Precisely in view of the Synod of 2018, during the Meeting, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, will animate a moment of sharing with the pastoral agents.

A process of preparation and guidelines for reflection in 12 points

The Symposium was prepared by means of a process that began in September 2015 in Malta, even before the summoning of the Synod, a sign of the extent to which the focus on young people is central to the Church in Europe. Since March 2016, this focus has been developing through several meetings: Meeting of the National Delegates for Catechesis (Rabat, Malta, March 1-4, 2016), Meeting of the National Delegates for the Pastoral Care of University and Youth (Szeged, Hungary, April 27-29, 2016), Meeting of the National Directors for Vocations (Brussels, Belgium, May 10-11, 2016), and Meeting of a Working Group of Schools Ministry (Paris, France, May 16, 2016). For further information : www.ccee.eu

Based on the results of these meetings some guidelines for reflection in 12 points were drawn up (please find them in the Symposium website) with the aim of promoting a Pan-European interdisciplinary reflection in preparation for the Symposium.

Please find more information (program, guidelines, best practices, etc.) in the website of the Symposium (http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/).

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Info for the Press

The Symposium will take place at the Seminario Conciliar, Carrer de la Diputació, 231 – 08007 Barcelona.

1. Access to the meeting and the press room

The meeting is open to journalists except for the working groups.

Caution: only journalists accredited before March 23 (in the case of foreign journalists) or before March 27 (in the case of national and local Spanish journalists) will be given access to the meeting room and the press room, and will take advantage of the various services that will be prepared for them.

The form for the accreditation is available in the media section of the website (http://symposium2017.ccee.eu/media/)

The press room will be endowed with its own Wi-Fi network available for accredited journalists.

2. Food and board – Transportation

Journalists shall pay for their own food and board, as well as for their transportation to and from the venue of the Symposium.

3. Visit to the Sagrada Família

For the visit to the Sagrada Família, you will need an additional accreditation issued by the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. The procedures for accreditation will be provided as soon as possible.

The interviews with bishops and cardinals, or to officials of the CCEE, will have to be agreed upon with the Press Office of the Symposium.

Acompañar a los jóvenes hoy, tema del Simposio del CCEE

News Release of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference

Madrid, 23 de febrero de 2017.- Barcelona será  la sede del Simposio organizado por el Consejo de las Conferencia Episcopales de Europa (CCEE) junto con la Conferencia Episcopal Española del 28 al 31 de marzo de 2017. Con el lema “Acompañar a los jóvenes  a responder libremente a la llamada de Cristo”, el encuentro tiene como objetivo descubrir cómo comprometerse y afrontar la situación actual en Europa, acompañando a los jóvenes “como Jesús hiciera con sus discípulos en el camino de Emaús (LC 24,13-35)”. Además este Simposio busca estimular el diálogo con los jóvenes en diferentes direcciones.

En este encuentro participarán responsables de las distintas conferencias episcopales  europeas de catequesis, enseñanza,  universidades, vocaciones y jóvenes.

Acompañamientos en diferentes etapas y ámbitos

El encuentro dará comienzo el martes, 28 de marzo. El arzobispo metropolitano de Westminster y Vice presidente del CCEE, el cardenal Vicent Nichols,  el presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Española,  junto con el arzobispo de Barcelona, Mons. Juan José Omella,  ofrecerán los saludos de bienvenida a los participantes.

Este encuentro se divide en cinco bloques. En ellos se hablará de las necesidades de la persona que es acompañada, de cómo realizar ese acompañamiento, de Evangelización y buenas prácticas o  de la belleza como valor.  Entre las actividades previstas está programada la celebración de una Feria de Buenas Prácticas que pueden servir de ayuda  y ejemplo para inspirar colectivamenta y dar a conocer nuevas realidades que puedan ser reproducidas en otros contextos. Además se celebrará un Plenario sobre el futuro Sínodo en 2018, que lleva por tema vocaciones y jóvenes. El día 31  de marzo los participantes harán públicas las conclusiones del Encuentro.

El arzobispo metropolitano de Cracovia, Mons. Marek Jedraszewski, Presidente de la Comisión del CCEE para la Catequesis, Enseñanza, Universidad, explicará en la primera conferencia cuáles son los temas más relevantes en el acompañamiento de los jóvenes en la actualidad.

El presidente del Pontificio Consejo para la Promoción de la Nueva Evangelización, Mons. Rino Fisichella, quien hablará acerca de Evangelización y buenas prácticas. Mons. Fisichella hará reflexionar a los participantes sobre la importancia que tienen los ejemplos o cómo dejarse inspirar por otros.

Los reponsables de  los 5 sectores –catequesis, enseñanza, universidad, jóvenes y vocaciones- debatirán en una mesa redonda sobre el acompañamiento que hace la Iglesia en las diferentes etapas de la vida, con un posterior diálogo con la Asamblea.

A la pregunta “Cómo podemos acompañar, respetando la libertad humana”, pretende reponder en una ponencia la Hna. Lola Arrieta, Carmelita de la Caridad Vedruna, experta en acompañamiento juvenil.

En el transcurso del encuentro destaca también la conferencia sobre “Sagrada Familia: belleza, arte, arquitectura y liturgia”, dimensiones a través de las cuales la persona puede ser acompañada. Michel Remery, Vice Secretario del CCEE e  investigador del área de Liturgia y Arquitectura de la Escuela deTeología Católica de la Unviersidad de Tilburg,  será el encargado  de desarrollar este tema, en el que además propone a Gaudí como testimonio de vida.

El presidente del CCEE y arzobispo metropolitano de Génova, cardenal Angelo Bagnasco, reflexionará en el discurso final sobre las líneas a seguir en el futuro a la luz de las conclusiones que se aporten.

La información completa y actualizada de este Simposio se pueden encontrar en la web: symposim2017.ccee.eu

The 2017 Symposium process begins