108 PART TWO: AN EMPIRICAL ACCOUNT about this topic, encouraging churches to extend Eucharistic hospitality to one another. In a letter to church leaders in the context of the 2017 commemoration of the Reformation, for example, Brother Alois asked: Should not the Churches which emphasize that unity in faith and an agreement on ministry are necessary in order to receive communion together give equal weight to the harmony of mutual love? Could they not offer a broader Eucharistic hospitality to those who show their desire for unity and who believe in the real presence of Christ? The Eucharist is not only the culmination of unity; it is also the road that leads to it.268 The Church of Reconciliation The Church of Reconciliation is the focal point of Taizé’s perimeters and activities. In the early days, Brother Roger used to have a small chapel in the house that he had bought in the village. As the community grew and attracted more and more guests, the chapel proved too small to accommodate them all. A request was sent to the bishop of Autun to allow the community to pray in the abandoned Romanesque (and Roman Catholic) church in the village. At the time, Catholics were not yet permitted to pray with Protestants, let alone share their holy space with them. After withdrawing his initial approval, the bishop referred the matter to the nuncio in Paris – who happened to be Cardinal Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII. He gave final permission to use the village church. The community’s contacts with Cardinal Roncalli would prove of vital significance for Taizé. Brother Roger’s viewpoints resonated with the future pope, who would grant him an annual audience, leaving the community with an influential patron. One decade later, the community outgrew the village church as well. One of the brothers, an architect, designed a church building which was erected just outside the village with the help of the German youth organization Aktion Sühnezeichen. It was completed and inaugurated in 1962. Although Brother Roger initially regretted the project for being too massive, this church also failed to accommodate the ever-growing flow of (young) visitors. Some years later, the west wall with its stained-glass windows was torn down and a circus tent was erected just behind it. Over the years, the wooden extensions as they exist today were added for a more permanent solution. However, during one of my visits on the occasion of Easter, several hundred people had to join the 268 Brother Alois, “A Call to Church Leaders for 2017,” Taizé website, 2017, https://www.taize.fr/en_article21331.html.
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