Mennonite Weekly Review

PALERMO, Italy — The peace witness of European Mennonites and Brethren in Christ needs to be strengthened.

So that jobless youth in Palermo are not drawn to the Mafia, Andrea and Sheila Crocivera are engaged in a youth project and seek partners. — Photo by Markus Rediger/MWC

Several European Mennonite leaders shared that sentiment at meetings held in late November at Centro Agape Mennonite Church. Leaders hope to better coordinate their work in missions, relief and peace.

Italian Mennonite leaders Martha and Francesco Picone believe the church needs to be more about peace in action, not only in words.

Conference delegates said that when Mennonites in Europe are asked their identity, they rarely mention peace. Frieder Boller of Germany and Jose Luis Suarez from Spain said they never mention that their congregations are peace churches.

Swiss delegates reported that they are working on renewing their peace position. In the Netherlands, a professorship for peace and reconciliation is to be established at the Free University of Amsterdam. A Mennonite church in Madrid, Spain, wonders what having members active in the police force means in the light of a peace witness.

With these issues confronting them, the gathered delegates worked with the MWC Global Anabaptist Shelf book A Culture of Peace: God’s Vision for the Church and the World by Paulus Widjaja, Eleanor Kreider and Alan Kreider. They want to encourage congregations to rediscover the biblical message of God’s peace for the church and the world.

Mennonite congregations have only 250 members in Palermo, a city of about 700,000 on the island of Sicily. The Mennonite church began here 60 years ago when food parcels from North America were received after World War II and missionaries from Virginia Mennonite Conference came to serve.

Youth present the biggest challenge for the city of Palermo. Up to 50 percent of youth are jobless. Many fall into the hands of the Mafia. In response, churches are planning programs for youth.

Andrea and Sheila Crocivera asked delegates for their support in encouraging the church to launch a “Youth for Christ” program. Andreas Martin from Switzerland suggested establishing youth camps or a volunteer program in Palermo, early steps to meet the youth challenge.

Francesco Picone is also concerned that fewer Italians are attending churches, including the dominant Catholic Church. While women and children are present, men are often absent. Women and children attend wedding services with the bridal couple and the priest, while the men are in the bar next door. After the church service, the men join the wedding festivities.