In the sky of Europe

The relationship between Europe and Christianity is a unique relationship. Europe was shaped by Christianity, an alternative history of European civilization without the contribution of Christianity is hard to imagine. Mindful of this, Pope Benedict XVI followed the developments of the European continent with grave concern. For some observers the Holy Father’s diagnosis of European civilization is excessively pessimistic. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once wrote that the Western world is marked by "self-hatred", a sign of self-immune pathology. However, before the current scenario whereby basic social institutions such as marriage and the family are undergoing a process of deconstruction in the name of an ideology, no convinced European can remain indifferent.Succumbing to false hopes is the inevitable consequence of the weakening in Christian hope. However, Benedict XVI’s answer to the negative phenomena marking the social, economic and political realms is not meant to increase the political influence of the Church. In fact, on many occasions Benedict XVI argued against the excessive closeness of the throne to the altar, mindful of the negative experiences of the Church in history: in the throne’s alliance with the altar, regardless of political leaders’ intentions, the Church was the loosing party, although she wasn’t always aware. "… the fusion of faith and political power has always come at a price: faith becomes the servant of power and must bend to its criteria", the Pope wrote in Jesus of Nazareth. The price of being too closely bound to the throne, in the hope of obtaining some sort of privilege by the authorities, has always resulted in a loss of identity and clarity on the part of the Church. In the light of these reflections, what is the specific contribution of the Church to contemporary Europe? In his homily in Santiago de Compostela the Pope said that before providing an answer we should listen to the voices of European populations, to their deepest wishes. "From this place, as a messenger of the Gospel sealed by the blood of Peter and James, I raise my eyes to the Europe that came in pilgrimage to Compostela. What are its great needs, fears and hopes? What is the specific and fundamental contribution of the Church to that Europe which for half a century has been moving towards new forms and projects?"."The fundamental contribution" is a phrase that is found in the Treaty of Lisbon. Some may expect that in arguing in favour of the Church in the framework of European integration Pope Benedict XVI was referring to figures that would be immediately reported by the media, such as the number of Catholic hospitals and schools or the amount of food distributed to the poor. But for the Pope, the greatest contribution of the Church is of a completely different nature.The Church’s contribution, His Holiness said, "is centred on a simple and decisive reality: God exists and he has given us life. He alone is absolute, faithful and unfailing love, that infinite goal that is glimpsed behind the good, the true and the beautiful things of this world, admirable indeed, but insufficient for the human heart. Saint Teresa of Jesus understood this when she wrote: ‘God alone suffices’".The lack of faith – referred to in the Year of Faith proclaimed by Benedict XVI – is Europe’s major "illness" that has far-reaching consequences. "Tragically, above all in nineteenth century Europe, the conviction grew that God is somehow man’s antagonist and an enemy of his freedom. As a result, there was an attempt to obscure the true biblical faith in the God who sent into the world his Son Jesus Christ, so that no one should perish but that all might have eternal life".Owing to this "misunderstanding" there were attempts to confine religion to the purely private sphere. However, those who have this pagan "conviction" – the Pope said -banish the truth of God and man to the shadows, although they describe themselves as educated an enlightened. "We cannot live in darkness, without seeing the light of the sun. (…) This is why we need to hear God once again under the skies of Europe. (…) This is what the Church wishes to contribute to Europe: to be watchful for God and for man, based on the understanding of both which is offered to us in Jesus Christ".Christianity has shaped Europe and it would be hard to imagine an alternative understanding of the history of European civilization without the contribution of Christianity. Quoting from Pope Benedict XVI: Christianity is the most important thing that brought the sun in the sky of Europe.