Europe: is there a place for man?

The 7th European Assembly dedicated this year to the human person as way of Europe will be held in Gniezno in Poland from 15 to 17 June. The Gniezno Assemblies, which have now become a well-established tradition, are an opportunity for the encounter between Christians from Eastern and Western Europe, and also a forum for ecumenical and interfaith debate. Guest speakers at the next Assembly will include the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tracisio Bertone, the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, former director of the Vatican Press Room, and Rabbi Irvin Greenberg. “The Gniezno Assembly will try to reply to the question about what is man, what is his place in Europe and what should the future Europe be like to form an environment favourable to the life and development of each and every human being”, explained the Archbishop of Gniezno Henryk Muszynski in describing the main objectives of the meeting. “We will ask ourselves what we must do to ensure that Europe can ensure the integral development of man, and to turn Europe into a continent of freedom, solidarity and respect for diversities”, he said, adding that in this context examination of the dialogue with Islam and the role of women in European society cannot be lacking. “In the European tradition there are two opposing currents: the Christian one that asserts than man was created in the image and likeness of God, and the Enlightenment one that considers man as the supreme and absolute value. During the 7th Gniezno Assembly, drawing on these currents, we would like to develop reflection on man in the context of European humanism, of which Christian humanism forms part”. Archbishop Muszynski, emphasizing the importance of the Gniezno Assemblies, revived during the pontificate of John Paul II, recalled that every meeting in the oldest Christian centre in Poland is also “a great school of dialogue for the faithful of various confessions and religions, and also an occasion for the exchange of gifts between East and West”.