A lesson for Europe” “

A determined appeal to the role played by Christianity in the construction of the old continent, “what made it great in the past and still today wins the admiration of other peoples”, and the hope that in the process of European reunification the contribution offered by the Slav world be adequately recognized and turned to account: these were the two aspects stressed by the Pope on receiving in audience the participants in the 3rd international Forum promoted by the Alcide De Gasperi Foundation on “Europe in the thought and work of John Paul II” (cf. Sir Europe no.7/2002). They are two aspects that had already formed a connecting thread of the whole conference. The reunification of Europe. “Europe – pointed out John Paul II – was born from the meeting between Graeco-Roman civilization and the Germanic and Slav world”. Pointing out the importance of the contribution made by “the Slav peoples to the culture of the continent and the “grievous religious split between West and East” that “has prevented the full integration of some of them in Europe”, the Pope reaffirmed the need for the Church “to breath with two lungs”. “Today I note with satisfaction – he continued – that several countries in central and eastern Europe are asking to join the European Union and play a creative role in it”. The Pope therefore urged the Fifteen: “I hope that the leaders of this Union be able to second this desire, showing understanding in the initial phase as regards adaptation to the economic conditions laid down” for membership, a goal which is certainly not easy for “the still weak economies” of these states. The exhortation not to forget the Christian roots of Europe was also expressed by the President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, in the message he sent to the Forum. According to Italy’s Head of State, the reinforcement of the European institutions and the process of enlargement should avail themselves of the “precious heritage” represented by the “universal values of Christianity, an integral part of the European identity”, and so “realize full citizenship based on the richness of the diversity of Europe’s cultural and social models”. Similar thoughts were expressed by the President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Pier Ferdinando Casini, who, on inaugurating the Forum at Montecitorio (seat of Italy’s Parliament), made an appeal to the Italian members of the Convention not to ignore the role of religions “and translate it into the draft they will prepare of the new Constitution”. This is a commitment – he stressed – “which is not detrimental to the modern requirement for a lay state but constitutes a rightful tribute to the undeniable role that religion has always assumed in the definition of the European identity”. According to Casini, “only if Europe remains faithful to this vocation will she be able to assume a key role in the international safeguard of human rights, the defence of peace, freedom and democracy”. The Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, endorsed this view: “The union of Europe may be conceived only in harmony and as service to the world community”; a “true Europe of citizens and persons will have no future if it be deprived of a profound cultural, spiritual and moral dimension”. A lesson for Europe. John Paul II’s “lesson for Europe” was discussed by the vice-president of COMECE (Commission of the Episcopal Conferences of the European Community), Msgr. Attilio Nicora. This is a role mediated by the word: “Up till the end of 1999 – explained Msgr. Nicora – the Pope made some 700 interventions on the theme of Europe, filling a volume of over 1000 pages”. But also by “significant gestures such as his pilgrimages to the great sanctuaries of the continent, his apostolic visits to all the nations, his proclamation of five new patrons”, as well as by “his indefatigable ecumenical efforts and courage of self-criticism, recognizing the contradictions of many Christians with the Gospel principles”. Lastly, the highest price for his courageous commitment: “the stigma of the attempt on his life in 1981”. “Life, justice, peace, work”: these, pointed out the governor of the Bank of Italy Antonio Fazio, are values inseparably fused together in the teaching of John Paul II; so, considering “Christian roots as the foundation of the life of a continent does not mean exposing oneself to unilateralism and integralism: these roots are charged with common values both for the believer and for the non believer; they constitute our very civilization”. Voices from the world. Malta, “with its rich heritage of Christian faith and values, may be a bridgehead between Europe and the Mediterranean”, pointed out the Prime Minister of the island, one of the candidate countries seeking EU membership, Eddie Fenech Adami. But Europe also represents a model for “the young Asian democracies which look to it as an example of development, civilization and respect for minorities”: so said the president of the Parliament of the Philippines, Jose de Venecia. And it has become an even more significant model “ever since international terrorism made us grasp the fact that poverty, oppression and despair, wherever they exist, must be considered everyone’s problem”. European youth, exposed to the “scourges of drugs, prostitution and sects”, ecumenism, “indispensable for any authentic progress”, and “evangelization of the ‘culture of freedom'” are today, in the view of Jean-Paul Durand, of the Institut Catholique de Paris, the Pope’s main concerns; they are demanding challenges that “require the responsibility of everyone”. Faced by the risk of the marginalization of religion, the appeal of Slovakia’s Minister of Justice, Jan Carnogursky, is all the more heartfelt: “We in Eastern Europe, who have had to suffer the consequences of the most painful attempts to eliminate religion, solemnly declare to you that no such thing must be allowed to happen in the new Europe”. In this regard, the new Nuncio Apostolic to the European Union, Msgr. Faustino Sainz Munoz, gave an assurance that the Holy See would strive to “influence the work of the Convention” but, “since the decisions formally adopted in Brussels are being prepared by the individual governments of the member countries, it is there that action must be taken and that commitment must involve the whole of the laity”. In the view of Hanna Suchocka, former Prime Minister of Poland, it is urgently necessary to embrace “the ‘solemn’ challenge launched by John Paul II; in the “new Europe the universality of the Gospel may represent the common foundation of the ethical law; justice is, at the same time, a moral value and the scales on which civil rights and duties are balanced”. Giovanna Pasqualin Traversa