Bishop Denis Nulty said the legacy of the missionary, who was born in Myshall, Co Carlow, in 543AD, and who founded monasteries in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, was his message of “unity in diversity” among the peoples of Europe.
Dr Nulty was speaking to the Irish Independent after the launch of an exhibition, ‘Ireland and the Birth of Europe’ on the legacy of St Columbanus and the Irish church in antiquity in the Italian town of Bobbio, where the monk died in 615AD.
The exhibition was launched by the Irish ambassador to the Holy See, Frances Collins, who told the assembled civic and religious leaders, “Today we in Ireland look back upon the days of Columbanus and his contemporaries with much pride.”
She said the life of St Columbanus underlines, “the extent to which we in Ireland have been intimately connected with the rest of Europe throughout our history”.
Ms Collins said St Columbanus was the first to use the phrase “all of Europe” in a letter he wrote to Pope Gregory around 600AD.
In July 1950, French foreign minister Robert Schuman gave a speech commemorating Columbanus’ birth in which he spoke of the Irishman as “the patron saint of all those who seek to construct a united Europe”.
She said Schuman’s words echo the sentiments of Columbanus himself when he wrote of a spiritual identity that transcended nations, using the phrase, “we are all joint members of one body, whether Franks or Britons or Irish or whatever peoples we come from”.
“The idea of a shared culture as the foundation of the European idea remains the greatest legacy of Columbanus and the generations of Irish scholars who followed him,” Ms Collins said.
Professor Damian Bracken of University College Cork’s Department of History, who researched and curated the exhibition, said it was intended to give historical depth to Ireland’s involvement in Europe.
“Ireland didn’t join Europe in 1973 – it was part of the European mainstream for 1,000 years before that,” he said.
The historian warned that “when people lose sight of their cultural and spiritual patrimony and historical depth, they do profoundly stupid things like voting for Brexit”.
“What this exhibition celebrates is that unity and freedom go together,” he said.
Bishop Denis Nulty expressed delight that his diocese has been chosen to host the next International Columban Day gathering in Carlow in 2025, the first time it will take place in Ireland. The event will draw visitors from across the continent.
The announcement was made in the Italian city of Piacenza on Sunday when Pope Francis paid tribute to the immense legacy of St Columbanus, saying he had enriched the Church and civil society.
The gathering of Columban Associations in Italy this year included Columban Sisters marking the centenary of their foundation in Ireland, as well as Columban priests.