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On 1st May Eastern and Western Europe will reunite. At the level of the Catholic Church we are already a family, even though people say we represent two different traditions, cultures and histories. The fact that an ecumenical delegation participated in the pilgrimage organized by COMECE to Santiago de Compostela from 19 to 21 April reminds us that this Europe needs to be constructed together. As far as Eastern Europe is concerned, we can sense their fears of being contaminated by secularised Western culture. Being here together may be a contribution to overcoming these fears. Pilgrimaging together in the search for the Christian roots of Europe means rooting ourselves in the past in order to build a future with optimism and trust. There are signals in the air that suggest that it is possible to rediscover the essence of Christianity because the demand for it is clear. The fundamentalism that has struck Europe in recent times prompts us to ask ourselves who we are, what we have to say to the world, and whether it is true that Christianity offers a certain view of man and of freedom. Even the debate on the constitutional treaty, the Christian roots of Europe, and the role of the Churches and religious communities, has been fascinating but very painful. The most painful aspect is that when we speak of Christianity it seems there is an ignorance of what it really is. It’s as if it were only a question of sharing prerogatives or doing an injustice to secularism or to other religions. But is this Christianity? If we went deeper into the question we would realise that Christianity is based on a healthy form of secular values and on the aspiration to give scope also to other religions. Are not even the debates going on at the present time on terrorism and Mel Gibson’s film The Passion an invitation to us to rediscover what Christianity really is? During the pilgrimage to Santiago the most important thing was not speaking but going to pray together. The question on how to live together exists, and terrorism poses it in a dramatic manner. Today it would be good if Christianity were to be rediscovered not in antithesis to Islam. Other questions concern the meaning of life. For example, the dramatic figures for suicides in Switzerland. We must work together to seek a serious response. If we respect what others have to say to us, Christianity can become a huge contribution. It has brought rules of community life that are utterly innovative, including the rule of placing the reality of forgiveness at the apex of social life. So let’s welcome all those who have something profound to say, whether they be Buddhist or Muslim. If on the other hand everything remains at a banal, superficial level, without touching on these fundamental questions, then everything stops at a political or economic discourse. It’s fine to depart from the economy to construct Europe, but it must be an economy capable of solidarity, liberty and justice. If Europe, with its 500 million Christians, had thought according to these criteria, there wouldn’t even have been any need for the Pope and the bishops to speak of them in the Church’s magisterium or in conferences. This is an important historic moment to say that we Christians have a great gift in our hands, and we must try to say what this gift means for us today. Of course, many people are not in the least interested in Europe, which they feel very distant from them. We have the task of making people conscious of their own role as protagonists in Europe. But we can also observe how a Catholic network of European friendship between Episcopal Conferences, dioceses, movements and associations is slowly being created: it’s a potential we need to do more to exploit. There already exists a Catholic European community that transcends national frontiers, but it remains rather hidden. So we must take a little more seriously the gospel invitation to place a beacon on top of the mountain. Aldo Giordano general secretary of the CCEE (Council of the European Episcopal Conferences)
