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On the occasion of the plenary assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), Rome 29 September 2 October, devoted to the theme “The Second Vatican Council and Europe. What indications for Europe?”, we publish the concluding part of the keynote address by the President of the CCEE, Bishop Amedée Grab . The greatest challenge by which we are faced at the present time is perhaps negativity or evil. We were all deeply shocked by the killing of Frère Roger during the evening prayer service at Taizé. He was perhaps the best-known exponent of reconciliation in the Christian world of the twentieth century. Undoubtedly the way in which we react to such events surprises a world in which revenge is the order of the day. The same goes for the provocation of terrorism that has struck at the very heart of some our capitals. This is not the time to abandon a sincere and calm dialogue. People probably react with astonishment to our commitment to peace and forgiveness, even in such painful and distressing situations, but our steadfast path of devotion can ensure the gift of hope to others. One challenge that is undoubtedly close to the hearts of us all is that of spiritual confusion. Today is the feast of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The last day of our meeting, 2 October, which this year falls on a Sunday, is normally the feast of the guardian angels. These are splendid annual celebrations, but the angels that we celebrate have nothing to do with those that are the vogue today: many elements of Christianity have been usurped by individuals and groups and are used in a somewhat bizarre ways. Simple Catholics and people in general have a need to know what is good and what is evil in the spiritual sphere; that’s why there is an urgent need for a process of re-orientation. I must say I was very happy about the publication of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as an excellent aid to help Catholics find their rightful place in a culture that does not speak much of the God for which they hunger. During World Youth Day in Cologne, Pope Benedict XVI told the German bishops that adoration is not a “luxury but a priority”. As Pastors we must support and guide the faithful in their search for Christ. The Holy Father recently affirmed: “the faith is not simply the assent to a set of dogmas, complete in itself, that would quench the thirst for God present in the human soul. On the contrary, it projects man […] towards a God who is ever new in his infiniteness”. What must the Church be, what must it do in Europe today? I offer you these reflections at the end of sharing with you my conviction that the love for humanity inspired by the faith can permit us to be courageous, in the school of the Popes. Clearly people recognize they need a guide and will entrust themselves to the person who is able to convince them that they matter. I think that the throng of youth in Cologne experienced just this in the Holy Father. The Church must convince the Europeans that they are important for God and therefore important also for us.
