The Europe of Persons

After 13 years of dedication to service of the Church in Europe “with loyalty and without reservations” as Secretary General of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) the Pope has elected Msgr. Aldo Giordano to become Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the organism that unites 47 democratic States in Europe. Msgr. Giordano will take up his new position in Strasbourg this coming September 1. In response to the news of his nomination, Cardinal Péter Erdõ declared, “I am pleased that Msgr. Aldo Giordano can continue to serve the Church in Europe, especially with an institution as important as the Council of Europe. The Church has a unique contribution to offer in making our continent an open space for rights, justice, solidarity, which is conscious and grateful for its spiritual heritage and its Christian roots.” We interviewed Msgr. Giordano. What have you retained from these 13 years with CCEE? “The first thing is the reality of a network of relationships built in these years with a great many people in Europe, on the level of the Catholic Church, on an ecumenical level, with religions, and also with the representatives of the European institutions. The richness I carry within me is this network made of relations, of dialogues, of friendships. In these 13 years I have had the possibility of living an important historical passage which 13 years ago concerned the crumbling of the Wall, the challenge of the East – West encounter, the Balkan crisis. Today, instead, Europe is called to confront the great global challenges: the problems of peace, of the environment, of justice and of hunger. It has become increasingly more clear during these years that the new stage for Europe regards its confronting the other regions of the earth”.And the Churches? “During these years I have seen the Catholic family grow across East and West. Even thug we have different histories and problems, we, people of the East and the West, feel as part of one sole family. On the ecumenical level too, some important steps have been made, even if we still feel the wounds inherited from the past. The path before us remains long, but in these years there has been a deepening desire on the part of the Churches to walk down this path together, living life to an ecumenism that has learned to breathe on a European level. The third European Ecumenical Assembly, from this point of view, was emblematic. It aimed at being a pilgrimage across Europe and the Christian churches, oriented towards the East, towards Rumania, a country with an Orthodox majority”. In what style do you plan to carry out this new role within the Council of Europe? “Stressing, above all, the importance of relations between persons, because when people manage to meet, peeling off ideological aspects and the influence of certain political interests, then the encounter exists and always becomes possible and one creates the style of family. I think, moreover, that it is important to examine problems in depth, that is, transcend banality, superficiality and rhetoric to ask ourselves what is really important for the good of the human person and the common good. And to engage in such discourse it is truly necessary to restore deep contents to words. In particolar, we need to supply genuine content to the concept of the human person, to his value, to his dignity and his richness, and to under stand how to avoid impoverishing the human person or worse yet, destroying him”. Is there room in Europe for the voice of Christianity? “There is another word that should be promoted in Europe and this is precisely the word, Christianity. I have the impression that at times one speaks of Christianity but refers only to “masks” or images of Christianity that do not correspond to what Christianity really is. I would like discussions to center on contents. I hope that in Europe there can be a deepening and serene dialogue on the great questions befalling Europe: the meaning of life, the foundations of values, the question of peaceful coexistence, the necessity and the challenge of confronting the world. If we have consensus regarding the choice of questions, I think we must also seek out together where the answers lie and also who is capable of contributing to the giving of some light to the people of Europe. Christianity believes it can offer a specific and ineliable contribution. But in order to do this it requires the debate to be open and serene and not filtrated through prejudice or ideological frameworks or power. Faced with such great questions, it is sad to set ourselves against each other or not give space to true contributions. Clearly, the Churches do not demand privileges but a secular space in which there is room for all that is authentic and in which the various players can offer their own contributions”.