Lille and Genoa, European capitals” “

After Graz in 2003, Genoa in Italy and Lille in France have been chosen as European capitals of culture in 2004. Many cultural activities are planned in the two cities: exhibitions, concerts, theatre and dance. (For further information www.genova-2004.it and www.lille2004.com). The two local Churches have also become actively involved, by promoting a series of artistic and cultural events. We interviewed Bishop Gérard Defois of Lille and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone , archbishop of Genoa. Msgr. Defois, what aim is being set by the diocese of Lille for this year of European culture? “Our starting point is what has repeatedly been said by the Pope: the Gospel is the source of culture and there is no transmission of the faith without culture. We wish to show that Christians have something to say, also at the cultural level. The programme includes art exhibitions, meetings and debates (Cardinal Poupard will speak in March), and cultural events. In September, for instance, the Semaines sociales will be held in Lille, this year with the theme “Europe, a society to be invented”. There will also be occasions on which a reflection on human rights will be proposed. So the Church has become deeply involved in trying to bring a knowledge of Gospel truths into the general context”. What has this “knowledge” of the Gospel to say to contemporary culture? “It is above all a message of faith in the creativity of man and in his search for new languages. The Gospel is present in everything that exalts the dignity of man and in everything that is in harmony with the spirit of the Beatitudes, the spirit of brotherhood and poverty”. Do you think that there’s still interest in the message of the Church today? “Certainly I do. First of all we have noticed that all the public authorities of the city have expressed great interest in the events being promoted by the Church. It’s very important that the Church should not disappear but make her presence felt, by contributing to the process of change like everyone else”. And what is being sought in the Church? “The meaning of life. In a period in which sad, often devastating events are happening, expressing hope is the ‘good news’ we need to give man today” But how should the Church present herself in a strongly secularised world, where the Church and religions in general are seen as a threat to the lay principle of social life? “The Church should do so by participating in debates, not by pretending she has the last word to say about everything, but rather by giving witness to a demanding culture, because it’s not a question of trivializing the Christian voice, but making it open and welcoming”. Cardinal Bertone, how has Genoa received the news of having been chosen as European capital of culture in 2004? “Historically Genoa has been not only a European city, but one of global expansion. It was called the “port of the Mediterranean” precisely due to its characteristic of being open to the outside world and its propensity to forge relations with all the countries of the Mediterranean and of the world. The city has therefore been a great exporter of culture but has also received cultural impulses from the cultures of the whole world. In the light of its history, a very fruitful symbiosis has been generated between the Christian inspiration of Genoese society and the dialogue with cultures. That’s why the city’s religious mission has always been accompanied by a vocation to preaching the Gospel overseas, to respond to people’s desire to get to know and meet Christ, according to the Gospel’s expression: ‘whoever sees me, sees the Father'”. What does it mean to bring the cultures to Christ? “It means bringing the great cultures of the world closer to the key to unlocking the meaning of life that is offered by the Christian revelation. From this point of view, the missionary vocation of Genoa is that of turning the city into a centre of culture and dialogue”. In your view, are Christians today ready to perform this mission? “First of all Genoese Christians, in their history, have always been involved in this transmission of Christian values and in this dialogue with other cultures. So the ground is historically prepared. Today, Christian Genoa is proposing a very wide-ranging programme of cultural events for this year dedicated to culture, beginning with a first meeting on the mission of cities as vehicles of culture and of religious culture”. Why cities? “Because the city is an aggregation of persons and is a departure point for the transmission of human and religious values. Of course, the city may also be the burial place of values. That’s why the task of Christians today is to renew the city not only in terms of the facades of its buildings, but from within, in its capacity to transmit values, beginning from that great cultural value that has been particularly underlined by the diocese and the city authorities this year, the value of solidarity”. Are people still interested in the voice of the Church? “I think so. Because I strongly believe that in spite of the appearances of a situation of degradation, ignorance and illegality, there is a hunger for the meaning of life, a search for exemplary values and models of evangelical life”.