Humanitarian ecumenism

Today, helping the poor is still at the heart of the gospel. But bishops and churches first and foremost demand attention for their own costs. In addition, bishops have another concern. They have sworn an oath to defend the ecclesiastical monarchical hegemony and to maintain unity among bishops at all costs. On that basis, a mysterious religious culture with much outward display has been built with authority. However, the publication of scandals has not done it any good. Apart from that, it has gradually become clear that this culture does not fit in with today's society at all. All attempts to bring about fundamental change have stalled. The synodal process proves that neither the pope nor the council of bishops are capable of transforming dioceses into evangelical charitable organizations. This development is causing people to seek personal values more than ever before.

Some see how the Gospel calls on benevolent individuals to help those in need. They read how Priscilla and Aquila, among others, welcomed kindred spirits into the atrium of their Roman villa. According to the historian Plutarch, these guests were known for their remarkable care for the needy. Paul's letter to the Galatians also states that “it was our duty to support the poor” (Gal 2:10). This was a reason to create Atrium2025, a virtual meeting place where like-minded people can exchange stories on a small scale via a newsletter. Participants support each other. In addition, they can help people who are still looking for something meaningful to work and fight for. Through its connection with a small group in Liverpool and possibly a second one in the US, Atrium2025 has become an example of a meeting place for aid workers with Catholic, Protestant, or other backgrounds. This is the realization of humanitarian ecumenism.

Miriam Duignan from the United Kingdom, Paul Hwang from Korea, Peter Mbuchi Methu from Kenya, Deborah Rose from the US, Virginia Saldanha from India, and Ed Schreurs from the Netherlands.

Priscilla and Aquila's current kindred spirits may be inspired by reports from contemporaries who, in addition to caring for those in need in their immediate surroundings, also contribute to aid projects further afield.  This includes:

 1.    Help for someone in Pakistan who brings Christians and Muslims together to help the poorest of the poor.

 2.    Help for doctors who travel around Nepal with an ambulance tube to operate on people in the mountains who are partially blind due to cataracts.

 3.    Help for volunteers who provide educational materials to young girls in Lima to prevent forced child marriages.

 4.    Support for setting up a school for the hearing impaired on Java.

If you know more about one of these projects or a project not yet mentioned, you can make yourself useful by sending a message of up to 1500 words for an atrium newsletter to post@atrium2025.com.