A new thought

The Church’s commitment in the promotion of social cohesion in Europe was the theme addressed by over thirty bishops and delegates of European Bishops’ Conferences with responsibility for social issues, gathered in Nicosia (Cyprus), September 3-5. The meeting was called by the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences’ – CCEE – Commission for Social issues ‘Caritas in Veritate’, chaired by Msgr. Giampaolo Crepaldi, Archbishop-bishop of Trieste. "In times of crisis like ours", states a CCEE press release -, living together becomes a daily choice which may be not easy unless it draws inspiration from the yearning to fulfil a joint living project and not from opportunity or forceful circumstances". The European bishops, welcomed by the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, Msgr. Youssef Soueif, focused their reflections on the following questions: "What is social cohesion based on today? What are the elements which endanger it at the local and European levels? Is a cohesive Europe which forgets its Christian roots possible? And what is the Church’s role?" The meeting was opened by the CCEE Vice-president, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, CEI President. During the meeting, Francesco Rossi interviewed Msgr. Giampaolo Crepaldi for SIR Europe.In times of crisis "living together becomes a daily choice which may not be easy"…, states the presentation of the meeting. Is it a call to overcome individualism at personal and national level? "It is. Also in its most blatant manifestations, the crisis is perceivable as a process that unfortunately leads to individualism at personal level, but it also leads institutional bodies to adopt egoistic approaches. This is especially true in the case of Europe, where in the relations between States, some emerge as strong while others are still very weak. It is evident that certain behaviours aren’t motivated by solidarity but by criteria based on self-affirmation, in a selfish way. For this reason the bishops felt that at a time of crisis it is important to place special emphasis on the theme of social cohesion".Which specific commitment can be assumed by the Church for Europe’s social cohesion? "First of all, the Church can contribute by clarifying the terms of the crisis, in the wake of what has already been done by Pope Benedict XVI in ‘Caritas in veritate’, where he explicitly mentions and analyses the crisis. Before the widespread thrusts to interpret the crisis in terms of lack of growth or ‘post-development’, the Holy Father’s clear response is to value development, while also pointing out that the crisis should become an opportunity for reflection, reconsideration and growth. A ‘diaconia’, i.e. clarifying the issue, could be the Church’s first step. The focus should then be on formation and education: educating individuals and communities, institutions and States to pursue approaches based on solidarity and cohesion. A difficult battle, such as the one linked to the ongoing crisis, can be won through joint action. Thirdly, the Church can indicate the virtuous behaviours at the level of finance, of economic dynamics and political decisions. The crisis can be overcome not by following past approaches, but by changing lifestyles at individual, political, institutional and economic-financial level". To this regard, what is the role played by Church Social Doctrine? "Indeed, Church Social Doctrine clearly states this. I consider ‘Caritas in veritate’ the third millennium manifesto to overcome the ongoing crisis. In fact, if we look at how the crisis came about we will realize that the basic reasons weren’t strictly technical or financial but economic. When the dynamics of finance make it self-referential, thus detached from real economy, no longer taking into account enterprises, families and people, something is obviously going wrong. The Social Doctrine of the Church, notably ‘Caritas in veritate’, makes this clear, and thus it is the ideal platform to overcome these problems".At times, to speak of Christian roots seems to be a source of division, especially of political players. Is it possible to conceive a united Europe regardless of these divisions?"I remember following the debates in view of the Treaty’s adoption and I recall the commitment of Blessed John Paul II to include a specific reference to the Christian roots of Europe in the preamble. Omitting that reference was a terrible mistake. How can anyone have an accurate picture of what Europe is and which direction it should take if Christianity is disregarded? In this framework, we ought to recover Christian and human values in order to bring about a solution to the crisis, which will not be found on solely technical and financial grounds".