ENCOUNTERING EUROPE - EUROPA BEGEGNEN

Sie finden den deutschen Text im Blog "Beobachtungen in einer veränderten Welt" der Evangelischen Akademie zu Berlin: https://www.eaberlin.de/nachlese/chronologisch-nach-jahren/2020/blog-beobachtungen-in-einer-veraenderten-welt/beobachtungen-in-einer-veraenderten-welt-11/

Kommentieren können Sie hier im Blog auf Deutsch oder auf Englisch
„Russia wherever you turn“ – Encountering Europe

For a fair Europe: that was the subtitle of the European Bible Dialogue that was meant to start today. Project Europe doesn’t have it easy these days. Many hopes and expectations were not fulfilled. Are our cultures too different after all?

We have always had some nationality based differences at the European Bible dialogues, like during the youth seminar in Berlin, a few months after the annexation of Crimea. There were, among young people from several other nations, Russian as well as Ukrainian participants. The topic of this encounter was “Dare to Trust”. That was going to be a tough one. But day by day, the images of the supposed enemy crumbled a bit more until, on the last evening, all participants – Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian, and German - joined the Romanians in folk dances, that participants taught each other. What had happened? Encounter and very personal talk about bible texts that allowed us to meet on grounds other than our national preconceptions. Abraham set out to an unknown future, saddled with a promise that was hard to believe. A student from East Ukraine told us that her family basically lived with bags packed so they might leave, if worse comes to worst. The young theologian from Perm in Russia pondered in return: “Wherever we turn or go, there is always only Russia.”

There have been similar moments, again and again, at the Bible Dialogues, but also disagreements on homosexuality, the role of the family, gender issues, on the liberal or decadent west. More often than not, we just agreed to disagree. But four days of singing and praying together, sharing meals and celebrating will let all seemingly fixed generalized images pale, because the individual in front of me shines so much brighter and has so much more interesting contrast to offer than any prejudiced image of any nation and its people.

The encounter conference “for a fair Europe” – a cooperation with the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe - was cancelled, like so many other European Bible Dialogues – until at least the end of June. Travel restriction would prevent them, even if the risk to be infected did not forbid such encounters anyway. Personal encounters on a European level will be out of reach for a long time. From the Czech Republic, we read that a whole year of travel restrictions are planned. Virologists warn about a second wave of infections this fall…

Of course, all who have already met and got to know each other, who have started friendships during past encounters, they can keep in touch. Via Zoom or Skype, by telephone or e-mails (even letters), they can comfort and encourage each other. They can hear or read how what we read about the other country online or in the papers, how that feels in real life. They will know why some friends are more reluctant to write their thoughts on Facebook when we Germans are criticizing our government. I stop in my words before complaining about how my favorite restaurant may have to close indefinitely or about not being able to go out. We stay in touch, because we already know one another as human beings: not as Poles, Russians or Dutch, but person to person, Christian or Muslim or Jew or without any specific religion – Europeans really; brothers and sisters as the Bible would put it.

What is happening with our beautiful project Europe? What is happening with us Europeans? All those wonderful European projects, exchange and volunteer programs, that have also enabled encounters for those, too, who would never have been able to travel like tourists: all cancelled for an undefined time to come. If I cannot leave my country, am I still European? Are there any Europeans anymore or are we again only Germans, Poles, Romanians…?

And Europe isn’t fair to its Citizens, and certainly less fair to those desperately waiting at its borders to be let in. Even in my own country, while some lament closed pubs, others fear not being able to pay their rent. In some countries, most people can be certain to receive the best of care if they should fall sick, in others, many have reason to worry they may be left to die alone if they contract Covid-19.

If we had been able to meet this week in Berlin, could we have made Europe fairer? People of all generations, from Latvia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and Ukraine had registered to participate.  Would we have been able to do more than widen our own horizon? But maybe, that would have been a start at least. Once again a start! But then … starting once more is better than not setting out at all, doing nothing.

Righteousness – fairness exalts a nation. That was the title of our conference “for a fair Europe”. Not military or economic power makes a nation great among the nations, but righteousness. Or as St. Augustine put is more drastically in the fourth of his books on the City of God): “Justice being taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies?” Meaning, without  fairness, states are nothing but bandits, being able to threaten others within or without isn’t what makes a nation - or a family of nations like the European Union - great, not might makes right, the law of thieves, but fair relations, fair contracts fair negotiations. (at this point, I wish to thank my former colleague Dr. Helmut Schwier for his inspiring Sermon on Righteousness.)  Europa has a long way to go to this goal (the world as such even longer). And that is one reason to keep going, step by step and to continue widening our horizons, again and yet again. This is why we need to listen to each other, allowing each other to have part in our thoughts, our concerns and joys, to help wherever we can; as individuals human beings, Europeans, brothers and sisters… so that, when this time of our separation is behind us, we may not have to start all over. 

Was do you think? What are your impressions?