The ‘visible’ roots” “

The Christian roots of Europe, much debated with regard to the European Constitution in the process of being drafted, are embodied by the artistic heritage present in all the states of the old continent: an essential, though perhaps not adequately fostered, component of the very identity of the European peoples. We asked for an opinion from Msgr. Giancarlo Santi , director of the national Office for ecclesiastical cultural properties of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI). Stones ‘speak’. “European culture up till the mid-eighteenth century was determined by its relation with the Church and by the religious dimension of life. Europe’s whole heritage of historic monuments derived its origins from the ecclesiastical world; the same goes for the fields of the figurative arts, music and, in large measure, also literature. For those who have sufficient eyes to see, this is the most striking testimony of the Christian roots of Europe: stones ‘speak’ even if these roots are not mentioned in the European Constitution. Among other things, this cultural heritage highlights Europe’s capacity to promote the meeting and dialogue between different religious expressions: the presence in some places of artistic testimonies of the Moslem religion intermixed with those of Christianity shows a capacity for integration between cultures, the study of which could make a valuable contribution to the current inter-religious debate. The real problem is how to maintain these links intact, and enable people to grasp how far the identity of the European peoples is linked to their culture. That’s why it is preferable to use the English expression ‘cultural heritage’ rather than the Italian ‘cultural properties’ or ‘patrimony’: the former conveys an emotional charge, it makes us understand that it is a resource that belongs to everyone; the latter has a connotation of economic type, of commercial value”. Christian roots are expressed in the safeguard of the cultural heritage. “But we must not stop at the enunciation of the principle itself: the insistence on the Christian roots of Europe must lead us to devote great attention to the revaluation of our artistic heritage. Only in recent days the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) has been promoting its census of Italian churches, whose exact number no one yet knows. Safeguarding and enhancing the heritage means, especially for the Church, recognizing our Christian roots. The risk is that of becoming divorced from the richness of this heritage we have received, and by which we have been formed, and failing to recognise the great potential it has for the future development of Italy. In France the Bishops’ Conference is devoting a great deal of effort to the artistic dimension of the tradition, visible in the monuments: faced by a national community that is suffering from the problem of no longer having secure roots in history, highlighting this aspect can help us find our common roots”. Two methods: cultural projects and coordination. “The cultural projects of the bishops’ conferences ought to underline the link with this heritage, as well as come to terms with the contemporary world: education ought to focus attention on the historical dimension of our culture, the historical context in which it was born and in which it is expressed. These are the two indispensable aspects. By committing projects, persons and resources in this direction, moreover, we can demonstrate how deeply we remain attached to our Christian roots. A perspective of institutional type also needs to be cultivated. At the European level there exist various organizations and individuals within the various bishops’ conferences that concern themselves with the cultural heritage: it would be useful to promote their coordination in a kind of informal community, in order to exchange information and experiences and also formulate common reflections on these matters, just as we have long done in other sectors of the Church’s pastoral ministry, such as catechesis, charity and missions. In other words, we need to create contacts between bishops and delegates for the cultural heritage, between national offices and commissions in Europe; we need to pool our efforts if we are to have a stronger voice with regard to European projects. A common cultural matrix, however, does not mean there is just a sole tradition. There are differentiated national traditions that need to be recognized”.