benedict xvi" "
Let us try to imagine the hopes that Benedict XVI entertains about Europe. The new Pope hopes that European Christians accept him with the eyes of faith and not those of politics or any other alignments. The Pope, before the call of Jesus, does not exist; only in the moment in which he is chosen, through the Conclave, is he “constituted”, “created” Pope. Benedict XVI asks of Europe the courage to seek the meaning of life, happiness and love; question itself about the meaning of suffering and death; leave open the sky of eternity; seek the secret of how the peoples, cultures and religions present in our lands can live peacefully together; and examine the role of Europe in its relations with the other continents. The Pope wishes to accompany this search, understand it and indicate the way and the goal. The Pope wishes to be able to confirm his brothers in the faith. The recent debate on the Christian roots in the Constitutional Treaty has also shown that many Europeans no longer know what Christianity is, or know only a kind of travesty of it. The new evangelization indicated by John Paul II remains the priority. Benedict XVI dreams that the process of communion and unity, of which he is the leading servant, may proceed. The scandal of the division between Christians becomes even more glaring in a Europe that is progressing toward economic and political unity. The fall of the Berlin wall opened a new scenario for the ecumenism of the continent. We have the task of getting to know each other as Churches of the West and Churches of the East: we come from two different histories; we each have fears inherited from past centuries; we must join together in coming to terms with the reality of secularisation and modern culture. Europe too is characterized by religious pluralism today. This is another field in which we often feel at our unease. We must find ways of promoting acceptance, understanding and cooperation between the religions. Europe was the first protagonist of the development of science and technology, and it is just in this sphere that ethical questions decisive for the very future of humanity are emerging today. It is enough to think of the questions of life linked to biotechnologies, the promotion of peace or the protection of the environment. The Pope undoubtedly dreams of a Europe capable of safeguarding in every way the dignity and value of the human person. It is not enough to reaffirm in a rhetorical manner the list of the values in which we believe. The time has come to re-examine their foundations, contents and interpretation. We must restore content to the words we use. What meaning does the word “liberty” have in Europe today? Or the world “family? Or the word “dignity”? Or the word “life”? The Pope wishes Europe and its Church to be more open to an exchange of gifts with the other continents. A kind of historical and cultural kinship exists between Europe and Latin America. Africa cannot remain on the margins of global political and economic developments. But the great novelty is Asia. And lastly, I think that the hopes of Benedict XVI are the hopes of Europeans.
