From 20 to 23 October 2020, the European Symposium on the proclamation of the faith, organised by the Youth Commission and the Catechesis Section of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), will be held in Krakow, at the Shrine of St John Paul II.
In view of the Symposium, a preparatory conference was held in recent days at the Archbishopric of Krakow, attended by more than 30 delegates of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe.
After the greetings of the CCEE President, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, and the introduction to the work from His Excellency Bishop Marek Jędraszewski, Archbishop of Krakow, The President of the CCEE Youth Commission, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, encouraged those present with a report on “How to awaken the youth”. This was followed by work in study groups.
The participants then focused on how the Exhortation Christus Vivit had been received and what is being done in Europe after its publication. Finally, in an atmosphere of true synodality, participants offered their contribution by presenting concrete proposals and suggestions for the preparation of the symposium.
It will be the evangelical image of the story of the blind Bartimaeus, described in Mark 10:46-52, that will lend a title to this symposium – “Get up, Christ is calling you” – and accompany the young people in their encounter with the Lord Jesus. The title chosen is therefore part of the path indicated by Pope Francis for the next World Youth Day with the invitation to young people to rise up, which will culminate in the meeting in Lisbon in 2022: “Mary rose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39).
During the symposium, and precisely on October 22nd, the Archbishop of Krakow invites young people from all over Europe to come on pilgrimage to Krakow, on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II.
The pilgrimage consists of the journey to Krakow, organised by the participants themselves, and a day of gathering at the Shrine of St. John Paul II, organized by the Archdiocese of Krakow. It will be a strong moment of prayer and encounter among the youth and with the participants of the European symposium