No lobbying during the Eucharist
European pastoral work in
Brussels
The European unification process is a fascinating enterprise. To accompany
it is in line with the Jesuits' tradition of performing their services where
decisions are taken which affect the lives of many people. But the pastoral
worker's old habit of frequenting princely courts should not be revived in
Brussels, the new capital of Europe; so, as we would say today, "No
lobbying during the celebration of the Eucharist."
Although the Society of Jesus is
in close contact with the European decision-making authorities, we do not
depend on them. In recent times we have rarely heard the criticism, not always
levelled in jest, that "the Jesuits in Brussels also belong to the
Eurocrats." On the one hand, we follow the process of European unification
through our Europe office (OCIPE) and the European headquarters of the Refugee
Service (JRS); on the other, we are pastorally active in Brussels’s
international community. The European Union (Parliament, Commission, Council)
employs about 25,000 people. In addition there are the employees of NATO, the
diplomatic corps and multinational firms, many of whom live with their families
in Brussels. We have contacts on different levels with a small part of this
"international population."
This article describes some of
the pastoral activities in which the Society is involved: the European Catholic
Foyer, the Chapel of the Resurrection and Catholic religious instruction in the
European schools. None of these activities are carried out without the
cooperation of non-Jesuits. Their commitment and the stimulus they provide have
often been and still are the source of apostolic initiatives, as the example of
the European Catholic Foyer shows.
When more and more European
officials settled in Brussels from 1962 on, many sought a religious home -
Italian- and French-speaking officials in particular were looking for pastoral
services. Together with a handful of Jesuits they founded, at the request of
Cardinal Suenens, the "Catholic European Foyer." It is true
that Jesuits have always directed its pastoral work, but the Foyer is an
association of laymen and women who run it independently. The goal was and
still is to provide the men and women working for European unification with a
spiritual home and a centre for reflection on their professional commitment.
For all of them the Foyer is intended to be a "centre for meetings,
reflection, training, action and celebration." The Foyer is located in the
vicinity of the European Union's head offices. This determines its pastoral
vocation.
Italian, French, Polish and
Spanish are the Foyer's main languages, used for religious services, discussion
groups on theological, political and biblical subjects, and artistic and social
events. An international pastoral council, on which all language groups and
sections of the Foyer are represented, advises on the services offered and
their co-ordination. The multilingual newsletter "Communitas" is sent
monthly to roughly 1 000 households. Adults who teach part-time in the
European schools prepare pupils in their mother tongue to receive the
sacraments. Children from all language groups are confirmed together, but their
knowledge of other languages is too limited for this to be possible when they
take their first communion. Scouts and guides and a variety of other
out-of-school activities bring together the Europeans of tomorrow: group
weekends and summer camps are important, where they experience the difficulties
and opportunities of living together with different cultures. All language
groups come together at international events like the monthly international
celebration of the Eucharist. In discussion groups, on for example the European
Convention, which is designing a constitution for Europe, Christian principles
for European integration are worked out. In one of the Commission's buildings
lectures give Christians an opportunity to form an opinion on current topics.
These lectures are organised with OCIPE and the "Conference of European
Churches", a Europe-wide ecumenical organisation bringing together 123
Orthodox, Anglican, Old Catholic and Protestant churches. Social activities, such
as fund-raising events for a diocese in Bolivia (Corocoro), and ecumenical
activities with the Chapel of the Resurrection, open up wider horizons. Various
festivities throughout the year and the common approach ensure the cohesion of
all the Foyer's communities.
The Foyer plays a part in co-ordinating
the "immigrant communities" in the diocese - it is often necessary to
counteract the impression that "the Europeans" are wealthy immigrants
who have no problems. It is unfortunately true that EU officials hardly mix at
all with their compatriots who came to Belgium as "guest workers"
from Italy, Spain, Portugal or Poland. Disparities of income, language skills
and mobility seem too great to overcome. The Foyer also works for closer
integration through contacts with the Latin American communities in Brussels.
Two challenges face the Foyer: to
bring together the different groups in the Foyer itself and to prevent the
emergence of a "European ghetto."
The Ignatian spirituality always
seeks to start from what surrounds us: from the world, society and its
structures. This approach is very well attuned to European circles. We have to
take a close look at reality and initiate changes where they are needed. In
this way the world will correspond better to God's plans for it. And all those
who frequent the Foyer prize this way of approaching the world, European
unification and faith.
The Foyer is Europe in miniature.
What is possible or difficult here will be possible or difficult everywhere.
For more than 40 years the goal and task of the Foyer has been and still is to
support those who take important decisions, often stressful and conflictual,
and their families. The so-called European schools, the first of which
dates back to the arrival of the European Institutions in Brussels in 1958, are
open to the children of European officials, NATO staff and members of the
diplomatic corps. Classes are given in the different official languages of the
European Union. At present there are three schools with a total of some
7 500 pupils attending classes in eleven language sections. After the next
enlargement of the EU there will be eight new language sections and roughly
1 000 additional pupils. The Society of Jesus was given responsibility by
Cardinal Suenens for religious instruction in the European schools (religious
classes are virtually compulsory for Catholic pupils). For many years now only
a few Jesuits have been teaching themselves; a lay collaborator is appointed
and she co‑ordinates the activities of about 45 religious teachers, who
currently come from ten different countries. Pupils are prepared for the
sacraments at the Foyer, as this service is not available in the schools.
The spirituality of St Ignatius
of Loyola can also help here: how can I order my professional life in such a
way that I can live my faith? Young people regularly ask themselves this
question when they are being prepared for confirmation. In the Ignatian view
they are "multipliers": in the European schools we are teaching young
people who in later life will have decision‑making responsibilities in
Europe and the wider world.
Our most recent pastoral project is a Chapel,
located in the heart of the area occupied by the Commission, Parliament and
Council buildings. The church bells are a reminder, in the middle of a concrete
and administrative desert where laws and norms are produced, that Europe as a
project reaches out far and wide.
The Chapel - for many years trees
grew out of its decaying roof - is now once more a house of God. Thanks to the
initiative of European officials and members of the Order, what was a ruin has
come to life again. The Chapel is now once again serving its original purpose:
a place of worship, calm and meditation in the midst of the often rough reality
of the struggle for a united Europe. The Chapel is certainly a Catholic
initiative, but "ecumenical openness" is laid down in its statutes.
It is chiefly used by European officials from the surrounding offices, but it
is even less of a parish church than the Foyer.
The Jesuits' European work is
not unique in Brussels; many other Orders have international houses here,
notably the Dominicans, the Franciscans and various women's congregations.
Increasing numbers of orders are recognizing the importance of having a
presence at European level - less because of lobbying than because of the
manifold possibilities for apostolic work in the European environment. These
activities would in many cases be inconceivable without the often inspiring and
challenging cooperation of men and women who do not belong to any religious
order. They are increasingly interconnected. The churches, together with other
non-governmental organisations, are making ever more determined efforts to
ensure their views are heard by the European authorities.
Our international Jesuit
community "Saint Benedict" currently comprises nine Jesuits from
eight countries. We are all working in the "European" field: some of
us are directly involved in lobbying - Brussels lends itself to this - for
example in the refugee service; others are following the process of unification
in the Europe Office; and others again are engaged in pastoral work or in the
European structure of the Order. A “European Provincial” superintends the
Jesuits who are working directly "for Europe." His correct title is
"President of the European Conference of Provincials." This
conference embraces 32 provinces and regions.
Our whole approach is based on the
conviction that the spirituality of St Ignatius is good for men and women who
are active here in politics and administration: to discover God in all things
and to bring the world nearer to his plan. Brussels is an appropriate place for
this, because far-reaching decisions are taken here which affect the lives of
Europeans and others further afield. The European project for the continent is
very close to a Christian design for society, and there are enough men and
women of goodwill who commit themselves to it. To support them in their
endeavours is the central task of our pastoral work with the international
community here.
Wolfgang Felber / translation:
Jeffrey Russell