The Pope has warned that Europe must remain true to her Christian identity in order to truly be herself.
Speaking yesterday morning, he addressed the bishops of Europe, in Rome for ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which marked the start of the Common Market, forerunner of today's European Union.
“We cannot think of building a true common house if we neglect the identity of the peoples of this Continent of ours; an identity composed of a whole of universal values, that Christianity helped shape, thus coming to play a role not just in history but a basic role within Europe, the Pope told the bishops, including Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin.
If, on the occasion of this anniversary, went on the Pope, “the governments of the Union wish to get closer to their citizens, then how could they leave aside such a basic element of the European identity as Christianity, with which a vast majority of them identify?”
Mentioning the “long path” covered by Europe since 25th March 1957, “which led to the reconciliation of the two lungs – the East and the West –“, Benedict XVI spoke of the ongoing search for “an appropriate institutional structure” and the need to find a healthy balance between the economic and the social dimension.
“However, in demographic terms, we have to acknowledge that Europe seems to have embarked on a way that might lead it out of history”, and “this, as well as endangering its economic growth, can also cause huge problems in terms of social cohesion”, went on the Pope, as he spoke to the participants in the Comece congress in audience at the Vatican.
Benedict XVI noted that the unification process “turned out not to be shared by everyone, due to the widespread feeling that several chapters of the European project have been written without keeping the citizens’ expectations into due account.
“Is it not surprising – asked Benedict XVI – that today’s Europe, while it aspires to become a community of values, seems to be increasingly opposed to there being any universal and absolute values? Doesn’t this unique form of apostasy from itself, even more than from God, lead it to doubt its own identity?”
According to the Pope, in this way people end up “spreading the belief that the careful consideration of goods is the only way to moral judgement, and that the common good is synonymous with compromise.
In fact – he explained –, if compromise can be a legitimate balancing of different private interests, it turns into a common evil whenever it involves arrangements that are detrimental to the nature of the human person”.
“A community that is built without respecting the true identity of the human being” will eventually “be good to no one. That’s why it seems more and more essential that Europe steer clear of that pragmatic attitude, now largely widespread, that systematically justifies compromise on the basic human values, as if it were the unavoidable consequence of an alleged “lesser evil”.
The Pope said the EU, in order to be a promoter of universal values, had to recognise the certain existence of a stable and permanent human nature, which is the source of rights that are shared by all individuals, including the right to conscientious objection when fundamental human values are breached.
Hence the final exhortation to the participants in the audience: Be proactively present in the public debate on a European scale and support such commitment with an effective cultural action.
“You know – concluded Benedict XVI – that you are responsible for helping build, with God’s help, a new Europe, realistic but not cynical, rich in ideals and free of naïve delusions, inspired by the perennial and life-giving truth of the Gospel”.
Addressing the bishops at the conference, COMECE Deputy President Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin drew an analogy between building a cathedral and the EU.
It took at least 100 years to build a cathedral. “The one for all European has been built in 50 years. I would like to say to the EU leaders that the problems begin just after the building, while the restorations never end”.
“The small cracks that the building of Europe shows – went on the archbishop – should not be underestimated. We have to cheer up at what has been accomplished, but at the same time we should not neglect the critical points.
According to Dr Martin, “the supranational institutions need more effectiveness, transparency and honesty”, while “nationwide, our cathedrals must be freed of the flags that represent triumphs behind which often lies massacres of which we should not be proud”.
Just like the cathedrals “are enlivened by the people that go in them”, the “liveliness of Europe is associated with the presence of people who work well together, who can welcome and be caring with everyone”.
Former Irish MEP and ex managing director of the World Trade Organisation, Peter Sutherland also addressed the conference.
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Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce