Perspectief 2014-25

2014-25 Description of the practice 13 Reageer a nearby camp. The brothers considered them to be the most vulnerable in society at that moment. By doing so, the brothers continued their lives of reconciliation in a very practical way. The brothers lived a simple life, aiming for self-sustainability and praying together three times a day. They continued to receive guests. Because their provisional chapel in the house soon proved too small to accommodate all the guests, the brothers requested permission to use the vacant Catholic Church in the village. After a process in which permission was granted and withdrawn again, permission was definitely granted by the papal nuncio in Paris, future Pope John XXIII Cardinal Roncalli. In 1949 four more brothers joined the community. The provisional annual vows seemed inadequate for the community, therefore the brothers decided to introduce the life commitment in which they took the classical monastic vows of poverty, obedience and chastity for life. This implied that the community needed a prior, a function that, not surprisingly, was dedicated to brother Roger. The same year, on the initiative of the Archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Gerlier, brother Roger was introduced to Pope Pius XII, whom brother Roger requested to “leave a little way open” 2 for ecumenical encounters between Catholics and Protestants. This appeal didn’t seem to sort out much. However, Brother Roger was more successful with Pius XII’s successor, John XXIII. This new Pope appeared to be very interested in the ecumenical community. He granted the prior an annual audience, a custom continued by his successors Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and today still by Pope Francis. The Second Vatican Council, initiated by John XXIII, was a breakthrough in ecumenism. As I will demonstrate further in detail in paragraph 3.1, the attitude of the Catholic Church towards other Churches and towards ecumenism changed radically. The early post Conciliar period was marked by ecumenical optimism. Hopes were high that visible ecclesiastical unity could be established soon. This ecumenical spirit was significant for the development of the Taizé community too. At brother Roger’s funeral - he was stabbed to death by a mentally disturbed woman during the evening prayer of 16 August 2005 - presiding Cardinal Kasper said: “the 2 Brother Roger, quoted in Santos, A community called Taizé, 64.