Recovering lost values

Gratitude and hope: these terms are to be found in the Synod’s message to the people of God, addressed to the Churches in the European continent, marked by "a strong – sometimes even aggressive – secularization", in part still wounded by many decades of regimes with ideologies hostile to God and to humanity. The bishops express "gratitude" "towards the past, but also to the present, in which the Gospel has created in Europe particular expressions and experiences of faith – often overflowing with holiness – that have been decisive for the evangelization of the whole world", while hope helps identify "present difficulties" as a "challenge to be overcome and an occasion for a more joyful and vivid proclamation of Christ and of his Gospel of life". Francesco Rossi, on behalf of SIR Europe, interviewed Msgr. Gianni Ambrosio, bishop of Piacenza-Bobbio (Italy), vice-president of COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community), on the Message of the Synod Fathers with reference to the European continent.What does the Message to the People of God say to contemporary Europe? "First of all, I wish to recall the continuity that links the post-synod exhortation ‘Ecclesia in Europa’ of John Paul II to this message, that contains a special reference to the European situation. Blessed John Paul II invited Europe to find the source of hope in order to address the challenges of the present times, acknowledging that hope decreased in many people since they forgot the message of salvation of Jesus. Also here I see there is the same judgement and the same invitation, especially looking beyond the Christian message as such, to what the European tradition managed to accomplish from the artistic angle, to the theological thought and most of all to the expressions of sanctity. We should not forget that Europe has been a cradle of sanctity with beautiful and diverse figures, with extraordinary expressions of holiness. It is an encouragement to recover faith and hope looking at the past, and bearing in mind the present, where the Gospel must be lived, with the same force and the same light that spring from the tradition".Can it be said that this Message bears a special relevance for all European peoples? "Indeed. There’s a beautiful specific reference to humanistic culture in which man’s face is enlightened, human dignity is acknowledged, with a great commitment for the common good. Starting with this open vision – which is deeply humanistic – we have the possibility of overcoming contemporary ideological visions that closed the eyes of European men, making them unable to raise their glance to the skies, nor towards the brothers and sisters. The recovery of Christian faith and of the humanistic vision helps us make a step forward and meet the challenge. The human aspect is at stake, and we’re facing a crossroads: on one side there is man, with his dignity and his transcendent vision of life; on the other we continue keeping our eyes closed, without a horizon, diminishing man until he becomes a small cog in a meaningless machine. I believe that the council Fathers have underlined the urgent need to recover human values for a future of goodness and hope".The evils of Europe include individualism. Pope Benedict has often reiterated the community dimension of Church membership…"The cultural aspect is decisive. An anthropological vision that is closed in itself, without God and without our fellow others, largely downsizes man. This religious agnosticism ultimatey destroys humanity and a culture of death is affirmed in those places where the fountainhead no longer provides fresh water, where attention for others is lacking. The beauty and greatness of European humanism lies in this integral vision of man. In this sense Europe has played an important mission in the world and it can continue if it overcomes pessimism and nihilism that hinder its way, as that of the entire world".Thus, is there a Europe that recovers its religious yearning in an increasingly pluralistic and multi-religious environment? "In the audience to the COMECE delegates, upon the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, Benedict XVI remarked that Europe risks drifting away from itself, it risks a self-apostasy unless it undertakes a deep reflection leading to the abatement of relativism, a virus which destroys the cultural organism. If, conversely, while reaffirming its roots, Europe recovers the fundamental question of God understood as closely bound to the question of the human person, it will recover its identity within the pluralistic realm and engage in mutual dialogue with other cultures, in the awareness of its precious contribution and of the contribution of other continents, and their cultural traditions. This entails a strong identity, as only in this way will a mutual, fruitful dialogue take place, for a good life for everyone".