A soul for Europe

Half a century has passed. Nonetheless, the words pronounced on 12 September 1958 by the then archbishop of Milan, Giovanni Battista Montini, who later became Pope Paul VI, represent, still today, a clear and passionate rendering of the European integration process. The homily pronounced during the Mass in Alpe Motta Campodolcino (Italy), on the occasion of the blessing of the statue of the Virgin protector of Europe, conveys the crucial points of archbishop Montini’s “Europeist vision”, which in the years of the pontificate were to become the object of a long series of reflections, to the point of constituting the solid basis of following Magisterium statements, by John Paul II and by Benedict XVI. It was the day after the “baptism” of the European Economic Community, which took place on March 25, 1957. The EEC was taking the first steps to foster economic and political ties between the six founding States, The international scenario was marked by a “Cold War” (recalled on several occasion in the past weeks), while the “iron curtain” divided Europe in two separate parts. “This union which is gradually taking shape – Montini said – and which from season to season fluctuates from a positive conclusion to a mortal delusion, is a fragile and unstable union. It appears to be the result of external forces rather than the product of independent inner vitality”. Despite the many undeniable successes, fragility and instability have been characterizing the progress of the Community project until today. Its pillars were placed by the three fathers of Europe: Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide De Gasperi, who Montini met on several occasions and with whom he addressed Europe-related issues. The archbishop of Milan presented a well-focused explanation – which remains of topical relevance – for the EEC’s weaknesses: “the members of the unity don’t want to concede an inch of their sovereignty. Thus, we progress in the direction of a probably ambiguous, fragile and precarious form of peace”. Nationalistic feelings gnawed European unity, as they still appear to do today. Msgr. Montini thus sent a message of hope encouraging all citizens, and the faithful in particular, to erect the “common house”. “The day that a common thought, a common culture, a bond of blood and friendship will constitute the foundations of the different peoples that compose Europe, that is still so poorly compaginated, that day, spiritual unity will finally have been achieved. It is necessary that Europe be composed by a single soul, so that its unity might be strong, consistent, aware and beneficial”. On various occasions in the years to come, Msgr. Montini clarified his thought regarding Community integration. It would have to be founded on cooperation between peoples and states under the banner of solidarity, with the noble objective of establishing peace and an ongoing openness to the world, moving towards the rediscovery and the enhancement of its patrimony of Christian culture and faith, capable of promoting – without demanding an exclusive role – its very political and social processes. After his papal election, on September 8 1965, in a message to the participants in the congress of the “Young Europe” gathering, His Holiness underlined his “ideal of a united Europe marked by peace”. “This is an extremely significant and beautiful ideal, worthy of a new generation, whose precious lesson is drawn from the tragic experiences of the recent wars. It responds to a vision, that we understand as being modern and wise, of the present historical moment, marked by a close interdependence of interests between peoples”. In a world that was proceeding towards globalization, the commitment for a united Europe was, in the view of Pope Paul VI, “compliant with the Christian view of human coexistence, whereby the world is understood as a single family and where its peoples are viewed as siblings”.