Contents
Soft power is not just a term from foreign policy. Joseph S. Nye Jr. describes it as the ability to win others over through attraction instead of coercion or payment. Churches and religious communities have always lived by it. Hardly any place shows Soft Power as clearly as Taizé, a village in Burgundy to which young people from all over Europe and beyond travel every year to spend a week praying, singing and keeping silence.
A house for refugees
Situation
In 1940, the Reformed theologian Roger Schutz comes from Switzerland to Taizé in the Saône-et-Loire department. He buys a house and takes in war refugees, among them, according to the community, Jews. On November 11, 1942, while he is in Switzerland raising funds, the Gestapo occupies the house. Only in the fall of 1944, after the liberation of France, can he return.
Link to the principle
It begins not with a strategy but with a deed: hospitality in the face of danger. Credibility arises where words and life match. That match is the foundation of all soft power. Without it, attraction becomes advertising.
A community from many churches
Situation
At Easter 1949, seven brothers commit themselves to a life of simplicity, celibacy and community. In 1962, the Church of Reconciliation is consecrated. In 1969, a young Belgian doctor joins as the first Catholic. Today, according to the community itself, it has around 80 brothers from various churches and almost 30 countries.
Link to the principle
Taizé lives out what it proclaims: reconciliation between divided churches. It does not merely preach about Christian unity; it shows it in the daily life of a community. An example like this often convinces people who distrust institutions more than any explanation could.
Tens of thousands of young people a year
Situation
Today, tens of thousands of young people come to Taizé every year. For a week they live simply, pray three times a day, read the Bible and help with the work. The chants are short, often taken from the Psalms or other passages of the Bible, repeated many times and sung in many languages. Around New Year’s, several tens of thousands of young adults gather in a major European city for the European Meeting.
Link to the principle
The power of attraction comes from simplicity and authenticity. There is no big show, no star on the stage, no membership fee. The chants are so simple that anyone can join in, and they have spread to congregations worldwide. Soft power works most strongly when it asks for nothing.
Back to your own church
Situation
Taizé does not try to bind the young people to itself. The community encourages them to go home and get involved in their own churches. Taizé calls this the pilgrimage of trust on earth. In August 2005, Brother Roger, aged 90, is stabbed to death during evening prayer by a mentally ill woman. He is succeeded by Brother Alois, and in 2023 by Brother Matthew, a British Anglican. In 2019, the community made public that three brothers had sexually abused minors between the 1950s and the 1980s and reported the cases to the public prosecutor. A dedicated team now receives reports and publishes annual reports. The report for 2025 names further older cases of boundary violations and harassment by former brothers (as of 2026).
Link to the principle
This reveals a subtlety of soft power. If you don’t hold on to people, you win their trust. Taizé does not want to collect members; it wants to strengthen people. It is precisely this lack of ulterior motive that makes the community credible. And it has endured beyond the death of its founder, because it depended not on a person but on a way of life. But credibility also means disclosing abuse within your own ranks instead of covering it up. A community that lives on trust is especially vulnerable here.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Credibility begins where your life matches your words.
- Model what you hope for from others.
- Keep it simple so that everyone can take part.
- Don’t hold on to people, and they will come back.
- Build on a form that will carry on beyond you.
Summary
In 1940, Roger Schutz founded a community in Taizé that began by taking in refugees and became a sign of reconciliation between the churches. Today, tens of thousands of young people come every year. Its power of attraction rests on a credible, simple life and on the fact that Taizé holds on to no one. That is soft power. It also depends on the community honestly confronting abuse within its own ranks.
Sources
- Joseph S. Nye Jr.: Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. New York: PublicAffairs 2004.
