1st Protestant feast in Strasbourg: Bible,Freedom,Merkel,Music+Ecumenism: EU Christian roots Future?

Can Christians be re-united today and/or overcome a threat to become a Minority in Europe itself, safeguarding and developing further Europe's largely christian historic roots, in mutual respect and useful dialogue with other Religions and "free" believers, particularly in front of crucial Moral, Social, Technologic and Political Challenges faced by EU Citizens and all Humankind today ? 

These questions, explicitly or de facto, were at the heart of this week's gatherings in Strasbourg between Religious people and simple Citizens, at the eve of an exceptional CoE's Conference on the only legally binding instrument in the World on BioEthics : The "Oviedo" International Convention on Medicine, Biology and Human Rights, which faces perhaps the most crucial challenges raised by galoping technologic developments.

During all these days, the Holy Bible was omnipresent in Gutenberg's city :From an Ecumenic Exhibition, to the 1st open Protestant popular Convention, including also Bible lectures, University library's historic items on Calvin's stay and work in Strasbourg, and an open air Mass where the gospel was read by a blind Woman using Braille, up to tragic Human Rights violations fex. by evoking the search of those responsible for the atrocious killing after torture of 3 workers at a Bible editor on 2007 in Turkey, denounced earlier by EU Parliament, etc.

Spreading allover from Politics and Human Rights issues, to Gospel Music and even fresh election winner German Chancellor Merkel (a Christian Protestant lady raised at Eastern area of Germany), Artistic, Religious and other events attracted more People than expected to an open air Protestant Mass, after Music concerts in "Zenith-Europe" (about 9.000 people) and elsewhere, during more than 3 busy Days plenty of parallel events (Conferences, Debates, Stands, Theater plays, Concerts, Exhibitions, Poetry, etc), for the 1st Protestant Convention "open" to Politicians, Experts and all interested People, at public areas in the heart of the city.

- "Welcoming our Protestant Friends", Strasbourg's Catholic Bishop Mgr Gralet opened, earlier this week an Ecumenic Exhibition on the Bible, with the participation also of an Orthodox polyphonic choir from Greece and other Christian Communities, as well as Jewish and Muslim religious representatives, because "the Bible is the heritage of all Humanity", as he stressed.

A first reply was the relative success of the event, which has gathered some 10 or 11.000 or more people, according to organisators' estimates, filling up twice Strasbourg's biggest space : the Zenith, with more participants coming for the Sunday Mass than for the Saturday Music Concerts, obliging to extend the event by TV cable also at the PMC Conference area. This made them announce their intention to repeat such experiences from now on "each 4 Years", the next being in 2013, "unless unexpected positive developments invite us to do it earlier", as they carefully said, while also pointing at the need to fill a larger gap than expected in the needed funding..

Meanwhile, the Catholic Christians, (a Majority in France and other EU countries), adding to an apparently renewed enthousiasm and/or will to act, had already anounced a 2011 Mega-Event in Strasbourg for the European Youth gathering, as Mgr Christian Kratz confirmed to "EuroFora".

But numbers and rumours look hard : F.ex. French Protestants revendicate only about 2 or 3% throughout France and some 17% in Alsace region around Strasbourg, close to Switzerland and Germany. While rumours about all Christians taken together (i.e. Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Armenian and others) threatened to become a "Minority" in Europe were, rightfully or wrongfully reminiscent this week, added to persecutions of Christians evoked even in neighbouring countries.

Thus, after all this week's events commenced by the prelude of an Ecumenic Exhibition on the Bible, efforts to rapproach or even re-unite most or all Christians together were discussed during a Debate on the "European Ecumenic Charter", signed by representatives of all Christians on 2001 in Strasbourg,

Protestant Jean-Arnold de Clermont, experienced former President of the European Churches Conference, strongly pleaded in favor of leaving institutional issues aside, at least for a while, in order to focus on issues of substance.

Catholic deputy Bishop, Mgr Christian Kratz, replied to "EuroFora" that, despite practical difficulties, "we have recently started to cooperate, all Christians together, mainly on Society issues".

The President of the Federation of Protestans in France, Claude Baty, speaking to "EuroFora", said that "Strasbourg was chosen for this exceptional event also for its role as a European and Religious cross-roads".

Socialist MEP Catherine Trautmann, a former Protestant University professor, speaking to "EuroFora", agreed that, Christian and Religious Peuple should be united today to act together mainly on "Social issues".

But, Florian Rochat, an Evangelist, head of a Strasbourg-based "European Committee to protect Human Dignity", revealed that on certain issues, such as f.ex. BioEthics, many Evangelists feel closer to Catholics, and work closer together than with the rest of Protestants" (Reformed and Lutherians).

A "Diversity that is not Division", observed, speaking in general on such issues, several Christian Protestant leaders, adding that it was already an achievement to succeed to bring together all Protestants to celebrate one Mass for all...

Adding to the diversity, Muslim representative Veysel Filiz, said to "EuroFora" that Muslim Communities generally are not so much interested on issues as BioEthics and "prefer to leave it for the State" to settle them, except, perhaps of some controversial questions on "blood donations", "abortion" etc. But they don't react on any Genetic manipulation of Human Embryos, etc. he added. (A point on which, however, another, Arab-origin Muslim representative at the CoE had earlier told as a diifferend story, according to which there were contrasting trends between various components of the Muslim world on BioEthics, and "those who are closer to the People" do care about these issues too, as he had said).
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"Minority" you said ?  Better read anew Diderot's "Jack the Fatalist"...
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Contrary to those who diffuse a rather artificial pessimism, claiming that christians would have become a "Minority" in Europe in a kind of "Fatalistic" way, Sociologist Jean-Paul Willaime, seemed both realist and optimist  : All Christian and other Religions appeared, some years ago, threatened to become an issue of Minorities, but recently, another trend seems to emerge, inciting People to re-discover religion and Christianism. And this has a Future, he noted.

What may attract and motivate People, old and young, to find anew an interest in Christian Religion ?

Politics are a contradiction, or an opportunity ?

During a discussion between Christian Protestant Politicians, from the Right and the Left, Philippe Richert, vice-president of the French Senate, from the Governing Cebnter-Right majoriy, said that, instead of a challenge, he found a precious "Chance" in the fact that he was Christian in order to "get involved in Politics". F. ex. "soon we'll have to decide on many important BioEthical issues during the revision of the 2004 Law", he observed.

An issue that the Senate of France has "already prepared a Committee" to deal with "in 2010", as its President, Gerard Larcher, told "EuroFora".

    At any case, German Chancellor Angie Merkel, winner of 3 Elections in a row, (after September 2005, also on June and September 2009 EU and National votes), served as one of the ways to try to attract peope : Proof is a 1st Page addition to the French Protestant Magazine "Christianism Today", which made an interesting offer to subsrcibe for a year, placed under a smiling Photo of Merkel saying in the Headlines : - "Without Faith, I wouldn't have done it !"..  

    Moreover, it's shortly after German Chancellor Merkel just congratulated on 29 October "the 1st Woman elected at the head of Germany's Evangelic Christian Church" (Protestant), Bishop Margot Kaessmann, that a Journalist raised critical Questions in Strasbourg on "why wasn't there any Woman yet among France's Protestant Church leadership ?" Embarassed smiles and vague promisses welcomed the move among 4 protestant leaders, all men ..

    More serious, pastor Geoffroy Goetz, President of Alsace-Lorraine's Synodic Council, speaking to "EuroFora" on German Chancellor Merkel, admitted that "the fact that she is woman who comes from the Eastern area of Germany, at this moment that we are celebrating Germany's and Europe's re-unification, might give a larger visibility to protestant  christians".
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Meanwhile, the President of the Senate in France, Gerard Larcher, had strongly pleaded for the principle of "Laicity", which generally obliges the State to remain out of Religious issues and to respect Religious Freedom, as well as neutrality, treating "all Citizens equally", whatever their religion might be.

But, from one side, a representative of a Turkish group, among the much larger and pluralist Muslim community, speaking in front of "EuroFora", asked for more "Mosquees, with Minarets, Ottoman-style, as in Istanbul", to be built in European Cities "with EU Money", (citting as example Duisbourg, a delcate City where riots burst out a day later between gangs for the control of prostitution and drug traffic, according to the German Press)..

However, from the other side, French Christian Protestants.. protested to Journalists in Strasbourg that "some extreme laicists" recently blocked even Local/Regional funds due to support a European Christian event organized at nearby Lyon !

At the same moment, Historic Christian Churches are barred from religious activities and changed to ..Tourist attractions, -as f.ex. Sainte-Sophie at former Constantinople (330-1920), currently Istanbul (1922-2009)-  to warehouses, etc. or notoriously degraded, while their faithful people are often hindered to access, use or even restore them; (as fex. in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus), etc.

On core Human Rights issues, (without naming Tukey at all), "EuroFora" asked in a Press Conference of the Protestant leaders, if it was known whether justice was done until now (2009), in the famous case of the atrocious Murders of 3 Christian Protestants working for a Bible Editor abroad, who were viciously tortured before being killed in 2007, as it was was strongly denounced in an EU Parliament's Resolution adopted earlier in Strasbourg

- "It was in Turkey", observed the President of France's Protestants, pastor Claude Baty, in reply to "EuroFora". "It's a very complicated affair. The difficulties are the following  : How could we speak about it without adding oil to the fire ? The Federation of Protestants, in such kind of situations, (and we could speak also for Algeria, or elsewhere), doesn't make declarations without being authorized by those who are directly concerned And, in this case, those who were murdered in Turkey, belonged to a Protestant Association, which didn't wish for us to make very much noise about it. Let's not cite its name. Because, they told us that if we speak about that, then, it's all of our partners and communities there (i.e. in Turkey) who risk even their lives... It's really frustrating !', he denounced.

 - "But I think that, here, the Politicians take over on what will follow", President Baty optimistically added.  F.ex. "Recently,  the (French) Senate's President, Gerard Larcher, visited Turkey. Before he goes, he asked me to tell him what was the situation of Protestants out there, and I gave him some documentation, and I have no doubt that, during his talks, he was able to raise these issues".

- "As you see, on matters concerning the persecution of Christians in some countries, it's difficult to make declarations and take very strong action, because there is a risk, at the end of the day, to worsen, instead of ameliorating things". That's why, at least as far as the Christian Protestants are concerned as such, he felt sometimes obliged to adopt "more diplomatic" ways to defend the victims.

It remains to be seen what will be the stance of MEPs when EU Parliament will soon review in Strasbourg the results of Ankara Government's duty to fight efficiently against Impunity of torturers, murderers and their instigators, since its latest Resolution on Turkey, where these 3 Murders of Bible workers are denounced in a crystal-clear manner.