A wonderful mosaic

Promoting the Christian roots of Europe and ecumenical dialogue. These were the mostly addressed issues of His Beatitude Christodoulos, archbishop of Athens and primate of Greece’s Orthodox Church, who died on January 28, in the speeches he delivered in different European environment. Follow excerpts of his speeches, as a token of homage to the archbishop’s contribution to the cooperation between Churches in the European continent. “Europe wasn’t created with a decree. It’s the fruit of a long historical process. This path wasn’t always glorious and shining. However, today nobody can question the fact that Europe was born in the Church’s bosom…I believe that we cannot keep Europe united if we allow political ideologies to prevail. And we won’t be able to keep Europe alive if we allow financial interests to prevail…I wish to share with you my firm belief that there can be no Europe, which is founded on compromise and pressures. If we wish Europe to exist, we must take on responsibility for it…When we speak about Europe, we are speaking of a civilization, we are speaking of a particular spirituality, and this spirituality has its roots in Christianity”. (Address delivered at the University of Craiova, Romania, June 2003) “I think that the members of European Churches must meet the challenge of re-evangelizing the European continent and proclaim that salvation is in Christ. Still, I believe that the Conference of Europe’s Churches must exhort Churches’ members, especially those living in the European Union, to undertake together and in a coordinate manner all the necessary efforts to preserve Europe’s Christian roots and culture and to ask the Constitution’s rapporteurs to make specific mention of Europe’s Christian heritage… The Continent’s Churches cannot fall into the sin of disunity. We must all engage in the promotion of unity, strengthening not only our cooperation on social, moral and political issues, placing value on theological studies, expanding not only the uniting principles but also looking into the elements of division, in the attempt to overcome existing obstacles to the achievement of unity”. (To the members of the Presidency of the Conference of European Churches, March 3, 2003) “The request of a reference to Christianity (in the European Constitution ed.’s note) isn’t aimed at undermining State secularity. It’s intention is that of protecting European conscience…The Churches of Europe, and with them the Church of Greece, don’t want to impose Christianity, nor do they want to question the contributions of other religions and of different ideologies. They try to promote the faith and the lifestyle of European citizens so that they may not perceive themselves as strangers in their own home.” (To the Members of the European Parliament, January 1st, 2003) “Europe is a wonderful mosaic, which has its roots in Christianity, in ancient Greek literature and in Byzantine and Roman law. This must be preserved, or we risk a cultural suicide. From the deep of my heart, I hope that all the difficulties experienced by Christians in Europe today may lead us to closer mutual understanding, and bring us to live in truth and faith, following the teaching of the Church Fathers. In our world, philosophy, science, information and knowledge exist in abundance. What is missing is the love for God and our neighbour, human and sincere communion between peoples. In short, the elements that are lacking today are true “Wisdom” and true “Knowledge”. We must first identify them within ourselves in order to share them with others. (To the Members of the European Parliament, January 1st, 2003)