PRO ORIENTE: Successful ecumenical youth workshop in Egypt

Cairo/Vienna, 28.05.24 In mid-April, another youth workshop took place in Egypt, organized by the PRO ORIENTE Foundation together with the “We choose abundant life” group. Almost 30 young adults came together in Cairo. They belonged to the Coptic Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches. A new video published by PRO ORIENTE offers an insight into the event (see YouTube).

According to Viola Raheb, who was present for PRO ORIENTE and is responsible for the entire workshop series, the workshop was a new and inspiring experience for all participants, as it was the first ecumenical experience for the majority of them: “For many, the workshop contributed to a better understanding and respect for the other churches.”

In March 2022, PRO ORIENTE, in cooperation with the group “We Choose Abundant Life”, launched a project for the ecumenical training and further education of young Christians in the countries of the Middle East. In the first year, workshops were held in a total of six countries in the Middle East - Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Israel and Egypt.

The young people, who are members of different churches, reflected on the political, economic, social and ecclesial situation in their home countries and developed future scenarios for church and society. In March 2024, another workshop took place in Austria, this time for young Christians from Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches living in countries of the European diaspora.

The most recent workshop in Egypt took place in the guest house of the Coptic Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Cairo and was co-organized by the Ecumenical Youth Committee. This consists of members of all Christian churches in Egypt.

The workshop was conducted by Viola Raheb together with Fr. George Kopti (Jordan), Sister Emilie Tannous (Lebanon) and John Daniel (Egypt) from the “We choose abundant life” group.

Rafael Tharwat, parish priest and “Deputy Bishop for Social Affairs” of the Episcopal Office for Public, Ecumenical and Social Services of the Coptic Orthodox Church, was won as a guest speaker. In his remarks, Fr. Tharwat encouraged the young people to treat each other with empathy, openness and respect. John Daniel spoke about social media and their impact on church life.

Rifaat Fikry of the Evangelical Coptic Church, one of the four general secretaries of the Middle East Council of Churches, took part in a workshop one afternoon and in turn encouraged the young people to engage in more ecumenism and cooperation.

On the last day of the workshop, the members of the Ecumenical Youth Committee reported on their experiences of cooperation between the churches and how they had been enriched by it.

At the end of the workshop, the young people reaffirmed their commitment to more ecumenical encounters and cooperation. After the workshop, the Ecumenical Youth Committee invited the participants to visit a Coptic Orthodox and a Coptic Catholic church to get to know parts of the Holy Week liturgy in the different traditions. Many of the young people took part.

“The young people gave us a vivid testimony that face-to-face encounters lead to greater appreciation and respect for the richness of Christian traditions,” Viola Raheb concludes: ”This is one way to inspire young people to work together and to engage in more ecumenism. It gives us hope, but it also requires more engagement in this area.”

The next PRO ORIENTE youth workshop is planned for mid-June in the Jordanian capital Amman.