“It’s impossible to build the European Union without culture”. So said Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Holy See’s Council for Culture, speaking at its plenary Assembly in Rome (14-16 March). The theme of discussion at this year’s assembly was: “Transmitting the faith to the heart of cultures: ‘Novo millennio ineunte'”. “In this period the cardinal added – the Church in Europe is experiencing a situation as a cultural minority that resembles that of the early Church. This must not induce pessimism because it’s a very determined minority, capable of transmitting values“. Poupard also emphasized the need to form “an alliance with all men of good will to achieve and promote a consensus on common values”. There was also discussion at the plenary assembly of the recent resolution of the European Parliament on women and fundamentalism. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini pointed out, in this regard, that the “European Parliament has intervened on the question of women’s rights, severely criticizing the Holy See, ‘guilty’ in its view of wishing to interfere in matters that are of no concern to religion”.
