Jordan: 5th Middle East youth encounter

Over 100 Orthodox youth from 14 Arab and European countries gathered for the Fifth Middle East Orthodox Youth Encounter, organised by SYNDESMOS, at Theodore Schneller School here 23-30 July, 2000. The encounter was held in cooperation with the Orthodox Educational Society in Jordan. The encounter was extremely rich in spiritual and intellectual lectures, prayers, and dia-logue, in addition to cultural excursions to different religious and archaeological sites in Jordan. A noteworthy achievement was the fact that Orthodox concerns, East and West, were shared during the encounter. The theme of the encounter was "Work Locally and Think Globally," which was developed in lectures on such topics as "How to live the Catholicity of the Orthodox church," "The Orthodox church between Stability Tradition and Evolution," "The Sacrament of Confession," and "The Orthodox Vision of modern behavior." Lecturers included His Eminence, Metropolitan George [Khodr] of Mount Lebanon; Dr. Athanasios Papatha-nassiou, Greece; Mother Mariam from the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Duma, Lebanon; Father Panayotis Papageorgiou, Cyprus; Father Joseph Abdallah from Saint George Monastery, Deir El Harf, Lebanon; and Father Christoforous, who is responsible for the northern part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The encounter began with a speech by Mr. Fuad Farraj, President of the Orthodox Educational Society in Amman, who spoke of the importance of Orthodox youth encounters. He also explained the Society's goals and activities and thanked SYNDESMOS for the role it plays in the Arab world. Rebecca Hookway, SYNDESMOS Secretary-General, reminded participants of SYNDESMOS'goals and expectations and asked the youth to implement them. Finally, Dr. Fadi Abou Mrad, SYNDESMOS iddle East Representative, explained the encounter's theme and its importance for every Orthodox Christian. The encounter's first session focused on ways to live the catholicity of Orthodoxy in the parish. Dr. Papathanassiou explained the Orthodox understanding of mission work. In his lecture on "The Orthodox Church between Stability Tradition and Evolution," Metropolitan George stressed that "the Church is not man made; rather it comes from the Christ Who shapes it; it is Christ stretched throughout human history." He also stressed the impor-tance of tradition and trust and the differences between Orthodox Christianity and other Christian traditions. Father Abdallah spoke about the "Sacrament of Confession," stressing the importance of the Sacrament in the life of the faithful, while Mother Mary spoke about "Spiritual life: Strife, repentance and prayer," focusing on the way of living sainthood and facing the pains of life. Father Khristoforous spoke on monasticism, while Father Panayotis tackled such topics as chastity, adultery and other issues facing young people today in his presentation. In addition to presentations, lectures, and liturgical services, participants enjoyed intercultural evenings featuring presentations by youth from different countries. Participants also visited many sites in Jordan, including Mount Nebou, Jerash, Petra, Madaba, the Church of Anjara, and Ajloun Castle. They ended the encounter with a prayer evening which lasted until morning.