A great European ” “

“On behalf of the European Commission I wish to extend our deepest condolences to the Sacred College and to the whole Catholic Church”. JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO , head of the Executive in Brussels, was the first voice at the international level to express the grief and the void left by the pope’s death, as a result of which “not only the Catholic Church of Rome, but the whole world has lost a spiritual guide of historic magnitude”. In the days following the death of John Paul II messages of condolence arrived from all over the world, and the universal mourning was confirmed by the announced presence at the pope’s funeral of some 200 heads of State from five continents. “WOJTYLA, FOUNDING FATHER OF UNITED EUROPE”. The Portuguese Barroso declared that “the role played by the Holy Father in favouring the collapse of the Iron Curtain, and so permitting the reunification of a divided continent, has been praised on various sides. For my part I wish to emphasize, at this sad time, that throughout his pontificate John Paul II tirelessly fought, as only he knew how, for the cause of an increasingly close-knit European Union, so much so as to merit the title of founding father of united Europe”. According to the President of the Commission, Karol Wojtyla “was a pontiff in the fullest sense of the term: a bridge builder between nations, cultures and religions. John Paul II will always remain in our hearts a man who sacrificed himself for the salvation of the whole of humanity, both believers and non-believers. The world loses with him a great defender of human dignity, a citizen of the world profoundly rooted in Europe”. In various European countries arrangements have been made for flags to be flown at half mast until the day of the funeral; some States have proclaimed days of national mourning, and television stations throughout the continent have dedicated the opening stories in their news bulletins and numerous “special reports” to the great Polish Pope. PROTAGONIST ON THE WORLD SCENE. “History will recall the decisive contribution made by John Paul II to the return to democracy and freedom of the states of Central and Eastern Europe and his role, often discreet but concrete, in favour of the resumption of dialogue between peoples and states in conflict, and the return to the negotiating table of the countries in the Middle East”: so said the President of the European Parliament, the Spaniard JOSEP BORRELL, in paying tribute on behalf of the EP in Strasbourg to the late pope, to whose memory we “respectfully bow our heads”. Borrell added that “on the occasion of his visit to the European Parliament on 11 October 1988, the pope had expressed himself as someone “who knew the aspirations of the Slav peoples, the other lung – as he put it – of our same European homeland’ and hoped that ‘Europe, by giving itself free and sovereign institutions, may one day be extended to the dimensions given to her by geography and even more so by her history'”. According to the President of the EP – which represents the 450 million citizens of the EU, John Paul II “left his decisive mark on the last quarter of the century”. Borrell’s statement concludes with the “sincere sharing” of the “sadness of the Catholic world and particularly that of his Polish compatriots”. “SPIRITUAL LEADER, CHAMPION OF PEACE”. “John Paul II was an indefatigable defender of human rights and became the champion of religious freedom and social justice”: JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, Luxembourg Premier and current President of the EU Council of Ministers, has added to the messages of condolence coming out of the EU institutions that hail the pontiff born in Wadowice as one of “founding fathers of united Europe”. Junker also observes that “the pope, with his journeys, has been able to bring his message of peace to all the corners of the world”. For his part, the EU foreign policy and common security chief, JAVIER SOLANA, added: “The world, and not just that of the Catholic faith, has lost an unforgettable spiritual leader, champion of peace and solidarity for everyone”. “We have lost – declared Solana – a great European, spirit of our times”. A vivid recollection of the man Karol Wojtyla, and of his stature, comes from Strasbourg, seat of the Council of Europe, which the Pope visited in 1988. The president of the Council’s parliamentary assembly, RENÉ VAN DER LINDEN, declared that “the death of this great pilgrim of peace is a loss for us all”, while its Secretary General, TERRY DAVIS, remarked that “the death of John Paul II is a loss not just for Catholics, but for all those who work for the defence of human dignity and solidarity in the world”. The current chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the Pole ADAM ROTFELD, called the pope “a tireless supporter of peace and dialogue, including that between different religions”.ö