What Europe needs

Last February 11, surprising everybody, Pope Benedict XVI announced his free and long-pondered decision to relinquish his ministry as Bishop of Rome, i.e. the Papacy. To support this decision, he invoked old age and physical exhaustion, which made the difficult task of guiding the Church in the 21st century particularly burdensome to him. For sure, no one expected this to happen, but soon after the initial impression and looking back at Benedict XVI’s intellectual, theological, human and ecclesial progress, this transcendental decision shows, in addition to his undeniable love for the Church, all the traits of the intellectual and priestly consistency and honesty that have always been his hallmark.One of the instances that, over the years, has benefited the most from his reflection and magisterium has certainly being Europe’s unity, which he always insisted should be based on its common Christian roots and be preserved as an indispensable element for its internal cohesion, which he described as a polyphonic union: "At present, Europe has to address complex issues of great importance, such as the growth and development of European integration, the increasingly precise definition of neighbourhood policy within the Union and the debate over its social model. In order to attain these goals, it will be important to draw inspiration, with creative fidelity, from the Christian heritage which has made such a particular contribution to forging the identity of this continent". (Address 3-30-2006).In this way, being faithful to what has been his Papacy’s leitmotiv, he basically launched an appeal to consider the essential aspect of Christian faith, that is proclaiming God as the founding reality of the entire created order, that must include political and social structures in order to turn civil life into democracy and peace, as he expressely stated in his Homily on November 6, 2010 in Santiago de Compostela, when he asked himself: "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? Her contribution is centred on a simple and decisive reality: God exists and he has given us life. He alone is absolute…".This fundamental principle, which was reiterated by Joseph Ratzinger, is not brand new: it states the inviolability of human dignity and of non-negotiable principles upholding human life, the nature of true marriages and families, as well as religious and educational freedom. It is not something innovative, as a matter of fact it has been the Church’s constant message that has characterized the continent’s ancient history and the novelty of European integration with its actual presence. Benedict XVI’s insistence on Christianity’s essence as a contribution to the European edifice comes from afar, and has reached one of its most complete expressions in Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Europa", of which we celebrate the tenth anniversary this year. In this document, which came out of the 2nd Special Synod Assembly for Europe and contains an explicit reference to the teachings of the biblical book of Revelation, a positive and confident call to hope can be perceived, which for Christians is found in Jesus Christ. Without escaping a sober analysis of the anthropological shortcomings of weak thought – which has held sway in several domains in the European continent, with undeniable negative consequences on the anthropological view of the person and on the deterioration of the true values of social life and the family as an institution – "Ecclesia in Europa" speaks of the Gospel of Hope which, starting from conversion and the recognition of our mistakes, revitalizes the meaning of Christian testimony, which also implies stronger and more proper ecumenical efforts. Recovering the contemporary value of "Ecclesia in Europa"’ is a useful way to help European citizens’ reflection and lives nowadays since, as Pope Benedict has untiringly underlined, the true Christian contribution is basically to recover God’s appreciation in our continent: "Europe needs a religious dimension. If it is to be ‘new’, by analogy with what is said about the "new city" of the Book of Revelation (cf. 21:2), it must open itself to the workings of God. For Europe to be built on solid foundations, there is a need to call upon authentic values grounded in the universal moral law written on the heart of every man and woman. Not only can Christians join with all people of goodwill in working to build this great project, but they are also called to be in some way its heart, revealing the true meaning of the organization of the earthly city" (n.116).Only in this way will a true and lasting hope be possible, beyond mere and transient optimism. And in doing so, we would effectively pay tribute to one of Pope Benedict XVI’s most frequently reiterated teachings.