"We won’t die for Nice"” “

In the long tradition that has led Poland from the Communist regime to entry into the European Union, the Catholic Church has played a primary role at the moral, cultural and social level. As the date approaches when the largest Eastern European country will officially become a member of the EU (1st May 2004), Msgr. Tadeusz Pieronek , rector of the Pontifical Theological Academy in Cracow, reviewed the last decade of national history in a report recently given in the seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, entitled: “The role of the Polish Catholic Church in the process of European integration”. Some excerpts below. The debate of EU membership. “Poland’s integration in the European Union is a question of crucial importance, that has affected all the fields of national life and involved a multiplicity of subjects”, said the bishop. In the early 1990s the country was in a state of upheaval, having just emerged from a long period under a Communist regime, and at least till 1997, according to Pieronek, the internal debate on this question had difficulty in getting off the ground. “Apparently all the political and social forces inside Poland were at that time favourable to membership of the Community. But animated discussions only arose when people began to consider more closely all the aspects and innovations that this decision would involve”. The Catholic Church itself initially “did not fuel the debate on integration, but took note of the repeated interventions on the matter by John Paul II”, who seemed rather favourable to entry, emphasizing “the hopes and aspirations of the Church in relation to the process of European unification”. Bishop Pieronek cited three important speeches by the Pope on this question: the first given as early as 1979, so even before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the second before the Polish Parliament in 1999. “In the meantime, perplexities, if not downright hostility, were growing” in Poland about EU entry; and this antagonism could also count on the support of some Catholic groups “fearful of change and adverse to foreigners”. The Pope’s third address was given in June. The role of John Paul II. The official position of the Catholic hierarchy, by contrast has been more nuanced, pointing out both the positive aspects that membership could bring, and its possible negative repercussions. Memorable in this sense, according to Pieronek, is a public address given in 1995 by the Primate, Cardinal Glemp, “who emphasised the concerns felt about the lack of any reference to Christian values” in various parts of EU legislation, especially “in terms of the defence of life, marriage, the family and education”. The third fundamental address of the Pope “was given during the pilgrimage of his fellow-citizens to Rome to mark the 25th anniversary of his pontificate. His words were interpreted as an unequivocal support for Poland’s entry into the EU, and this influenced not a little the success of the referendum on membership held a few days later, on 7/8 June 2003″. Pieronek recalled the Pope’s message: “Poland – declared John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square – has always been an important part of Europe and today cannot be excluded from this great Community that, even if pervaded by elements of crisis, forms a single family of nations based on the common Christian tradition. Entering the European Union with equal dignity with other states is a sign of historical justice for our nation and for all the Slav nations, besides being – the Pope added – a possible source of enrichment for the continent. Europe needs Poland. The Church in Europe needs the Polish people to bear witness to their faith”. The future of Europe and her Christian roots. In recent months, it goes without saying, the situation has changed, and the debate at the national level has become more heated, especially with regard to “the negotiations on the European Constitution” and the benefits of economic, social and cultural type that membership of the EU might bring to the country. “The Polish Church is moving in this direction” – Pieronek explained – “without failing to express its dissatisfaction about the lack of any reference to the Christian roots of the continent in the draft Constitution”. The “horizons of development and hope” that the EU holds out to the country meet with the support of the Polish Christian community, but the conclusion of Pierenek’s report in Strasbourg – referring to the Treaty of Nice and the controversies that accompanied the failure of the Brussels summit in December 2003 – is emblematic: “We won’t die for Nice, but we are ready to do so for our faith”.