Laurent Fabre

ccn priest, Hautecombe, founder of the Chemin Neuf Community

Foundation

Three points of hope for our next 50 years

« A critical and prophetic spur ».

In a well-written report, a journalist from La Croix pokes fun at us, while highlighting the salient features of the first fifty years of our Community. She chose as her title: « The Chemin Neuf Community, confident in its strengths to contribute to the Church of tomorrow ». After a magnificent photo taken in Hautecombe Abbey (Savoie) on 19 August 2023, she introduces her article with the following description: « The scene is striking, because so rare. In procession, under the Gothic vaults of the abbey church, a Catholic cardinal, recognizable by his red skullcap (Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille), the new Archbishop of Chambéry (Thibault Verny), the Primate of the Anglican Communion (Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury) dressed in a simple black suit, a Mennonite pastor in a white alb (our sister Anne Cathy Graber, who was responsible for training at the Abbey for many years), and the President of the French Protestant Federation (Christian Krieger), dressed in his black pastoral gown, topped with a white fabric collar.

Five ecclesiastical personalities, all dressed in different clothes to reflect the fact that they belong to different Christian denominations. Exceptionally brought together for the same mass…
« A successful demonstration of unity, orchestrated by the Chemin Neuf Community… ». She goes on to write,« The conquering community is not resting on old stones, however beautiful they may be, but has chosen to project itself into the future, organising a reflection on the Church of tomorrow ». She then had the good idea of quoting this key phrase from Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline’s homily: « I see your particular mission in the Church: you are responsible for unity and you are also a spur. A spur must be both critical and prophetic ».

Following « humble and poor » Christ

In the next fifty years of this Chemin Neuf, how can we continue to be « critical and prophetic », while following « humble and poor » Christ, as our founder Saint Ignatius taught us so well?

That’s a good question!

On 11 February 2023, in Portugal, I wrote to the Community team preparing to welcome 4,200 young people for a week before World Youth Day: « For the last three days, something unusual has been happening, something exceptional… that reminds me of a beautiful and joyful series of events some fifty years ago: the new Pentecost in the United States, the Baptism in the Spirit, the fervor of the prayer groups, the beginnings of the Charismatic Renewal in France, the founding of the Chemin Neuf Community….

Watching several videos from Asbury, and twice this morning a short three-minute video from a young French woman on Tik-Tok, who, with great emotion, reports on the events that took place in the university of Asbury, Kentucky, I cried every time, just as I did 50 years ago … Feeling the presence of the Lord in all this! A feeling of joy and fulfilment just like in the old days!

As in the past, the conviction that I know, understand and adhere to a movement of the Spirit that others around me do not see or understand…

I’m convinced that, deep down, this event … this « small beginning » is full of promises and that we shouldn’t look down on it … that, on the contrary, we should link it to the WYD … or rather let it win the WYD with its profound aspiration to repentance and the evidence of ecumenism.

Obviously, as usual, there are potential pitfalls … Of course you have to be careful and discerning! But, in Portugal, as a good sailboat or a good pilot, as a good swimmer on a windsurfer’s board, we have to catch the wind and « ride the wave »

As I happily tried to do 50 years ago ».

Three new elements in this ‘Asbury University Revival‘ caught my attention.

On 16 February, the hashtags « Asbury Revival » and « Asbury Revival » were distributed very quickly and very widely thanks to new communications media, generating a staggering 24.4 million views on TikTok alone.

Right from the start, for the first time in history, a truly ecumenical awakening. When asked about this phenomenon, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, expressed hope for a religious revival. « This is extraordinarily good news, » he said in an interview with Fox News on Ash Wednesday. « What pleases me is that this was not planned but spontaneous. It wasn‘t choreographed or anticipated. It was simply sincere and authentic students who felt the need for prayer, the Word of God, companionship and faith, and who were urged to persevere in prayer, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel ».

The « Gentleness and Humility » of this charismatic Awakening …

The wisdom and admirable conduct (neither « conquering » nor « self-confident »!) of the few Methodist leaders of this University who do not precede the Holy Spirit but who try to follow him!

A community at the top of Pope Francis’ class?

Always with a touch of humor (a « first pupil » is not necessarily the top of the class!), the journalist talks about our closeness to Pope Francis. It’s true that we have many reasons to feel close to this Pope, who never ceases to surprise us. Apart from his Ignatian spirituality (I was a Jesuit for 30 years and I’m still a son of St Ignatius), his desire for a poor Church for the poor, his strong ecumenical commitment, his very determined ecclesiological choice of « reconciled diversity », I’d like to highlight his prophetic vision of non-violence.

In the seven years that our Community has had the privilege, after refusing it twice, of being the guardian of the Monastery of Tibhirine and the treasure of the testimonial of its seven martyred Cistercian monks, our Pope has taken giant steps towards « Active Non-violence » by teaching: « Being true disciples of Jesus today means also adhering to his proposal of non-violence ».

• In 2016, « no more ‘Just War' ». The old principle of « just war », once supported by great theologians and moralists, has now been removed from our catechisms.
• In 2017, « make non-violence our « way of life » ». Quoting Pacem in terris by his predecessor Saint John XXIII, Pope Francis extolled « the meaning and love of peace, founded on truth, justice, freedom and love ». « From the local and everyday level to that of the world order, may non-violence become the characteristic style of our decisions, our relationships, our actions, and politics in all its forms! »
• In 2018, « no more death penalty ». Pope Francis expressed,on Thursday 2 August 2018, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a categorical opposition to death penalty, deemed « inadmissible ». He wants the Church to make a « determined commitment » to abolish it throughout the world.
• In 2021, « no to arms sales and no to nuclear weapons ». In his Easter address, Pope Francis denounced the scandale that he sees in continued military spending and armed conflicts in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• And in 2025? Will he have the strength and the time, but many of us dream of seeing Pope Francis publish an Encyclical on non-violence. Be that as it may, I hope that, in the logic of our journey over the last fifty years, in the fidelity of our commitment to « give our lives for Unity », the « little » Chemin Neuf Community (as Father Ignatius would say) will one day resolutely and humbly take the path of Non-violence and the practice of Ubuntu that Nelson Mandela taught so well. ■ L. F.

Cet article fait partie du numéro 78 de la revue FOI

LE CHEMIN NEUF FÊTE SES 50 ANS

septembre-octobre-novembre 2023