With more courage” “” “

he Holy Father died in his private apartment at 21.37 this evening. All the procedures prescribed in the Apostolic Constitution ‘Universi Dominici gregis’ promulgated by John Paul II on 22 February 1996 have been set in motion”. That is the brief communiqué with which the Director of the Holy See’s Press Room, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, communicated the death of John Paul II. The news immediately aroused grief and condolence across the world. St. Peter’s, where the body of the Pope lay in state for some four days, has become the goal of a continuous pilgrimage right up to the day of the funeral, which took place in the forecourt in front of the Vatican Basilica on Friday 8 April, presided over by Cardinal J. Ratzinger, and attended by an immense throng of faithful, heads of state and of government, and the delegations of many countries throughout the world. “It is the grand synthesis between the culture of classical antiquity, mainly Roman, and the cultures of the Germanic and Celtic peoples, a synthesis operated on the basis of Jesus Christ, that characterises the massive contribution made by Charlemagne to the continent’s formation. For it was only through the acceptance of the Christian faith that Europe became a continent able through the centuries to propagate its values to almost all the other parts of the earth, for the good of humanity… The commitment that the European Union assumed in formulating a ‘Charter of Fundamental Rights’ represents an attempt to sum up anew, at the beginning of the new millennium, the fundamental values by which the co-existence of the European peoples needs to be inspired… In this regard, I cannot conceal my disappointment that not even a reference to God was inserted in the text of the Constitution, though it is God who is the supreme source of the dignity of the human person and of his fundamental rights… The defence of the rights of the person and the family could have been more courageous… Europe cannot dispense with an energetic effort to recover the cultural legacy left by Charlemagne and preserved for over a millenniun. ( From John Paul II’s Message on the occasion on the Conference marking the 1200th anniversary of the imperial coronation of Charlemagne, 14 December 2000) “I repeat to you again today: Europe, as you stand at the beginning of the third millennium, “ Open the doors to Christ! Be yourself. Rediscover your origins. Relive your roots“. Down the centuries you have received the treasure of the Christian faith. It has grounded your life as a society on principles drawn from the Gospel, and traces of this are evident in the art, literature, thought and culture of your nations. But this heritage does not belong just to the past; it is a project in the making, to be passed to future generations, for it has indelibly marked the life of the individuals and peoples who together have forged the continent of Europe”. (From John Paul II’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in Europa”, 2003) “…Certainly an outstanding example of the possibility of peace can be seen in Europe: nations which were once fierce enemies locked in deadly wars are now members of the European Union, which during the past year aimed at further consolidation through the Constitutional Treaty of Rome, while at the same time showing an openness to admitting other States willing to accept the requirements of membership”. (From John Paul II’s Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 10 January 2005)