2012-01-25
On Wednesday the 25th of January and in his residence in Cologne, His Eminence John metropolitan of Europe, accompanied by Fr. Elias Esber, the parish priest, had two meetings. The first was with the community of the ladies of the parish of St. Demetrius, the second with the community of the youth of the same parish. In the meeting with the ladies, His Eminence delivered a speech about the saint of the day, St. Gregory the theologian. He spoke about his important role in strengthening the orthodoxy in Minor Asia. Sanctity is not far from our daily life, it is not just a historical and absolute matter-said His Eminence-but a concrete reality which everybody invited to obtain. St Gregory was born in a sanctified family which should be an ideal example of every Christian family. And here is the role of the woman, of the mother which is to make of his own family a little Church. Afterward, the ladies presented their questions and discussed with His Eminence some of ecclesiastic matters.
The meeting with the youth took place in the same day. His Eminence was so happy to listen to their questions and to reply them. They asked him how to live our Christianity in the west and how to treat the others of different confessions and religion. They asked him about the role of the woman in the church, about the concrete meaning of equality of women and men in the church. His Eminence, at the end of the meeting, was so happy to see really an active youth community in Cologne.
