Critical conscience

“To support the European project, the primary task of the Churches is the ongoing reference to identity” of peoples and of the continent as a whole. These identities, said card. Peter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest (Hungary), president of the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), is expressed “also in the great principles of solidarity and subsidiarity” deriving from Christian teaching, which “show evident practical implications for the present moment”. The meeting with the foreign press closed the week of meetings in the Vatican of the CCEE presidency, which on November 25 was received in private audience by Benedict XVI. Christians today, in the Old continent. Intense days of work for the bishops arriving from all over Europe, representing 33 bishops’ conferences: a conference marking the 40th anniversary of CCEE, an ecumenical meeting between Orthodox and Catholics, a series of meetings with Holy See dycasteries “to reflect on the questions of Europe and on future CCEE projects”. At the centre of the discussion, Christians’ presence in contemporary Europe, the relations with other religious faiths, the focus on the knots of religious freedom, fundamental rights, relations with other continents. The final conference was attended also by the two vice-Presidents of the Council of Christian Churches, card. Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, and Msgr. Jozef Michalik, Archbishop of Przemysl (Poland).Critical and propositional conscience. “The major challenge for contemporary Europe involves the human person”. Card. Angelo Bagnasco underlined the difficult present times marked by the economic and financial crisis, which must be addressed with renewed attention to the anthropological question. “There is a unifying element, a guiding criteria that ought to be adopted when addressing the ongoing problems – His Eminence said – and it is the human person”. The questions “on the human person call into question contemporary culture, economy, and legislation”. It does not differ from the Christ proclamation. In fact, it is a fundamental part of it”. Christian communities in the old continent “are called to represent the critical and propositional conscience vis a vis the ongoing developments, responding to the their mission as the salt of the earth and the light of the world”. His Eminence underlined specific “major themes” on which CCEE member Churches could give their contribution. These are: life “in all its expressions”, the family, “freedom of religion and education”. These, in turn “encompass other fundamental themes such as employment, politics, culture, free time”. “Our hope – Card. Bagnasco said – is that Europe will not go astray”.Mutual understanding. “The presence of the Christian community in Europe” which is maybe more visible in certain countries, “is in itself an original and significant contribution to the European building”, representing, among other things, “an ongoing reminder of the love of God for mankind”, emphasizing that “life is not reduced to its concrete expressions nor does it terminate in the present time”. At the end of the CCEE works, in the light of the morning audience with Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bagnasco told SIR Europe about the contribution that Churches could give to the European integration process, currently experiencing a difficult time. To the same question, Msgr. Jozef Michalik, Archbishop of Przemysl (Poland), replied: “The path of mutual knowledge carried out by Christian Churches, also thanks to CCEE, is an important contribution of the believers to the common European home. The same can be said for the relations established by European Churches with the Churches of other continents, underlining Europe’s need to “open up to the entire world”. Also Msgr. Michalik recalled that “the Church can act as a living conscience in our present times”. On the audience with the Holy Father, Msgr. Michalik told SIR Europe that “the pope asked for news on our Churches and then asked how he himself can place himself to the service of the new evangelization” of Europe. The lessons of the “Arab Spring”. As regards the ongoing transformations in North Africa and the Middle East, that challenge Europe under the political, economic and migratory angles, Card. Bagnasco declared: “The so-called Arab Springs prompts at least three reflections. First of all, it shows that human dignity cannot be crushed beyond given limits”, to this regard the Cardinal drew a comparison to the events occurred in Eastern Europe from the end of the 1980s to the fall of the Berlin Wall. “Secondly, there emerges an unsolved problem between the reasons of politics and those of economy. I believe we should return to reflect on this aspect”. Finally, it appears that “the various world areas have to find their way for democracy and social peace”, since these values “cannot be exported”.