Testimony of faith. Enrich each other

When my heart opened to the presence of God, it was in a Catholic church. At that time, I was successfully studying political science, but I was suffering inside. Having gone to Chile for a year as part of my degree, I met a woman there of my age with a similar background… except that she had found peace thanks to God. I wanted to know this God. This is how I found myself one Sunday attending a mass on Easter Island (which depends on Chile), in a building steeped in Rapa Nui culture. Today, I would perhaps be more struck by a form of syncretism in the settings. Outside, a Christ with arms wide open overlooks a facade covered with Polynesian symbols. Inside, the Oceanic light bathes a wooden crucifix at the end of an aisle framed by a Virgin and Child and motifs carved into trunks in the local style. But I know what I owe to this place and this time.

When I returned to France, I spoke about my conversion to my mother, who directed me towards the most religious in the family: my grandfather, a Protestant. Under his influence, as well as for theological reasons, I turned towards Protestantism. This experience made me aware of ecumenism. With a dual objective: to bear witness alongside other Christians to the Good News, and to mutually enrich our exchanges, beyond received ideas. This is what we are experiencing in the national conversation group between evangelicals and Catholics in which I participate.

The more I advance in my faith journey, the more I am convinced of the importance of the unity of the Church. Isn’t this the subject of Jesus’ last prayer before his Passion? “May they be one as we are one” (John 17:11), he asks the Father, speaking of the disciples. In my life as a pastor, I try to translate this ideal through the quality of the relationships maintained with the priest of the neighboring Catholic church. Every year, we organize a celebration together on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Recognizing ourselves as brothers and sisters even though we do not belong to the same traditions leads to humility.