Unity (Sint Unum) springs from love in Christ and is incarnated in an authentic fraternal life. The first experience of intercontinental streaming is a challenge for the whole Congregation to welcome and continue to develop.
After a week of study, reflection, and sharing, the Theological Seminar came to an end. About 40 confreres reviewed and discussed the meaning of Sint Unum in the Congregation and in today’s world, focusing on the love of God and his mercy, as well as on the dimensions of sin, seen above all as a non-opening to the love of Christ. Sint Unum remains a current challenge and a perspective for today’s world. During the conference three specific aspects emerged: the priority of love in Christ (Agape), fraternal life as a “sacrament”, and the prophetic character of unity.
On the last day of the seminar, the participants discussed specific aspects of the final message, which will be edited by a special commission and which will be available shortly in various languages.
One of the innovations of this edition of the seminar was the live streaming. Due to the pandemic, it was the only possibility. Of course, some important elements of such a conference were lacking, such as the loss of fraternity, informal conversations and common prayer. There were also a few technical problems.
That said, the live streamed experience turned out to be very positive, with regular and constant presence of the participants, the tone of the discussions (in particular those that took place in the meetings of the continental groups), and the contributions offered by the days’ various speakers. These positive successes can also be repeated for other types of meetings.
