In the sign of the fathers

The building of a “common home”, the legacy inherited from “the fathers of integration”, Robert Schuman amongst them; and also several very current topics including the situation of countries in Eastern Europe after joining the European Union, and the forthcoming decision of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the display of the crucifix in public places. Gianni Borsa of SIR Europe discussed these topics with Msgr. Aldo Giordano, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe since 2008. The occasion is the 60th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration which, in 1950, was the beginning of the European Community. Msgr. Giordano, you have had various occasions this year to think about the person and the thought of Schuman, a Catholic, French Foreign Minister who together with the Italian, De Gasperi, and the German, Adenauer, is considered one of the founding fathers of the idea of integration. What are the elements on which he based his political project? “Right after the tragedy of the Second World War, Schuman felt the necessity and the possibility of setting in motion a process towards European integration whose principal objective was peace, and he worked in this direction. He was convinced above all that reconciliation between France and Germany was the first step – states which for a long time had been the two principal antagonists in the heart of Europe. The path that Schuman privileged concretely was the realization of a ‘factual solidarity’ beginning with the economy and then aimed at achieving a political stability that would protect the continent from new wars, destruction and mourning”. This was his concern, well espressed in the Declaration of May 9, 1950: “Peace requires creative efforts that are equal to the dangers threatening it”…“Precisely. On the other hand, he knew quite well that neither European unity nor peace and cooperation between the different countries could be built in one blow with a magic wand. His vision was based on small steps. I believe that the daring political vision of the Minister was matched by his realism and concreteness”.In 1945 Europe was divided in half. Did Schuman and the other “artisans of integration” look beyond the Iron Curtain? And to the rest of the world? “Schuman was well aware of the obstacle of the division between East and West in Europe, and also paid great attention to the relations between Europe and the rest of the world, especially regarding the African continent and its great material needs”. Let us speak about Eastern Europe. Can we consider the expansion of 2004 – 2007 a full success? “In my opinion the countries of Eastern Europe feel that problems related to law and justice are still ongoing problems for them. Moreover, many citizens feel quite uneasy about respect for the values of tradition which are typical in these countries, threatened – they feel – by Western modernity, a secular culture and lifestyle. In this sense the expansion of the EU to the East has raised and continues to raise suspicions and fears”.In your opinion, are the intuitions of Schuman and the “fathers” of Europe still valid or have they become outmoded?“Schuman’s method, defined as ‘functionalist’ is still very valid and his thought should be applied to our era as well. The EU today is not directly threatened by new wars, but by numerous and multiform challenges and dangers: the financial crisis and unemployment, terrorism, the nuclear issue, energy and the environment, the aging population, migrations…. In his declarations, Schuman spoke of the necessity of creating, as we said, a ‘factual solidarity’. Behind this formula perhaps he saw a wider Christian sense of fraternity and sharing. In some ways this is a concept that we find in the Caritas in Veritate of Benedict XVI, when the Pope speaks of the principle of gratuity and logic of donation that can help us meet the challenges of our times”. On June 5 at the Grande Chambre of the European Court of the Rights of Man in Strasbourg there will be an audience regarding the display of the Cross in the classrooms of public schools. After the sentence of November 3, 2009, and the reception of the appeal, what can we expect? “We are hoping for a new, enlightened sentence, founded on the principle of subsidiarity and respectful of cultural diversity in the different European countries. A sentence of this sort would represent an important contribution towards gaining the confidence of citizens towards the Court itself, in the Council of Europe and the other European institutions. The promotion and defence of cultural and religious variety in our continent is one of the special vocations of the Council of Europe. I also hope that the debate that has emerged on this occasion will help us rediscover the true content of the symbol of the Cross. Humanity has an urgent need of this symbol, which is unique in proposing the value of reconciliation and respect for the other, and which proposes the law of love to the point of willingness to donate one’s life. In particular, I am thinking of so many people wounded by suffering and evil who find in the symbol of ‘the suffering Man’ a light that will give meaning to their life”.