Disappointed but not resigned

Follows a reflection by cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich-Freising, President of COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community), published on the French daily La Croix past April 24. "The European family is in the process of tackling a set of serious issues. There are increasing numbers of unhappy citizens. In 2013, the European Year of Citizens, most of those living in the EU are barely aware of what EU citizenship means and implies. The prevailing belief all across Europe is that economic and financial policies are causing newly poor people. On various occasions and at different levels the Church spoke out to remind policymakers, the Irish Presidency and EU institutions of the collateral damage caused by euro bailout plans, notably their impact on the poor and vulnerable brackets throughout Europe. It is quite clear that EU citizens feel betrayed, that their confidence in European institutions has weakened, that they view cynically EU officials and EU leadership and that "they’ve had enough of Brussels". But they’re wrong. This ongoing crisis in Europe highlights the role of the European Union as never before. The common history of the past 60 years shouldn’t be viewed with a myopic approach. It is widely agreed that European populations have managed to create a family of nations characterized by prosperity and peace. Now it’s not time to rest on laurels, despite their lush beauty. The financial crisis severely impacted EU economy and plunged some Member States into a suffocating crisis that required the intervention of the IMF. Confidence in the EU crisis-resolving capacities has been deeply shattered. Moreover, far too many citizens, unemployed youths, young families tacking property loans, small and medium enterprises as well as old people and retired citizens have been direly hit by the crisis. Through its presbyters and the commitment of large numbers of lay faithful, through numerous Catholic organizations actively volunteering in developing countries, the Church’s awareness of the impact of the crisis, of the suffering of countless number of citizens and of those living in the EU without citizenship rights, is much greater than that of the majority of EU citizens. European bishops have already expressed at high political level their deep concern, forwarding concrete proposals to relieve suffering, notably during the meeting with the Irish Presidency of the EU on March 8. The Church firmly believes in the European project. And this is not the right time to relinquish it. In fact, in the present circumstances we ought to step up our commitment for this project. A Europe of values must include the most fundamental value in these times of crisis, namely: solidarity in action. This is the Church’s message in her statements at European level. The challenge for us, sons and daughters of the Church, EU citizens, is to understand the connection of the ongoing economic and social crisis to ineffective policies, which is not due to an underlying flaw in EU architecture, but rather to a financial and economic mode of administration that violated the principles of social market economy. The remedy could be a more consistent and unified application of the EU’s fundamental principles, i.e. solidarity between communities and citizens in their joint quest for the common good".