“The respect of the specificity and individuality of persons, peoples and states” to accomplish a “unity that will promote diversity”. These are some of the principles drawn from the Benedictine monastic experience, submitted in Strasbourg, the venue of the EU assembly, by the primate of the Benedictine Congregation, father Notker Wolf, and deemed “helpful, even today, to build the common European house”. In Strasbourg “to tell the delegates of the European citizens about the figure and the lesson of a saint who left a deep mark on the culture and spirituality of the whole continent”, father Wolf took a German flute and accompanied with his notes the music of “Ora et Labora”, written by the Italian singer/songwriter Michele Paulicelli, revolving around Saint Benedict, which will soon become a musical that will go on a tour of the continent in an English version as well. Father Wolf repeated to SIR that there is the need of “listening and talking to each other”, which is the basis of democracy in Europe. Another principle he mentioned is “the meeting of different cultures. Modern Europe is the fruit of the meeting of the Greek classical culture with Christianity, which gave life to European humanism”. Finally, the “principle of openness, so that Europe will not be a fortress but will serve the Continents”.
