An appeal to responsibility

Since the enactment of the project conceived by the three Catholic politicians and founding fathers – Robert Schuman in France, Alcide De Gasperi in Italy, Konrad Adenauer in Germany – the Church has followed the development of Europe, supporting its integration process. Ensuing the declaration of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences regarding the upcoming elections for the renewal of the Parliament in Strasbourg (June 4 -7 2009), involving 375 million citizens, the Bishops’ Conferences across Europe issued appeals to vote. Follows a briefing of these appeals. Council of European Bishops’ Conferences: the responsibility of Christians. On the eve of the vote, Father Duarte Nuno Queiroz de Barros da Cunha, CCEE Secretary General, told SIR that European elections involves “MEPs that will address topics relating to European Institutions”. However, he added, “over 60% of the bills enforced in each EU Country are conceived within European Institutions”, whose task is not confined to the technical aspects. Rather “although a number of issues that influence the present and Europe’s future life and culture”, like abortion and marriage, “fall within the province of States’ family policies” these issues are debated by MEPs, along with, “education, health, scientific research and religion”, declared the CCEE secretary. Thus our task consists in “acknowledging the importance of trained representatives who are aware of the consequences of their actions and with a positive and Christian view of life that will influence decision-making”.Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community: a right and a responsibility. “Since the onset the Catholic Church supported the project of European integration and continues supporting it still today”, stated COMECE bishops in the statement issued past March 20 “Building a better European home”. “Every Christian not only has the right but also the responsibility to be actively engaged in this project by exercising his or her vote”, the Bishops wrote in the statement. Given the important role of the European Parliament, continue the bishops, “we expect the Members of the European Parliament actively to participate and contribute to “respect human life from conception to natural death”; “to support the family founded on marriage – as understood between one man and one woman – as the basic unit of society”; “to advance the social rights of workers”; “to endorse economic governance based on ethical values”; “to promote justice in relationships of the European Union with developing countries”; to “demonstrate solidarity by shaping policies that help the weakest and poorest in our societies; to “protect the Creation” and to “to promote peace in the world through coordinated and coherent external EU-policy.France: the commitment for Europe. The President of the French Bishops’ Conference, the Archbishop of Paris Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, called the faithful to go to the polls in his prolusion to the Assembly of March 31. “Europe isn’t perfect, but it can’t progress without the real and true mobilization of its citizens”, he said. “The forthcoming elections of the European Parliament ought to convey our commitment for Europe, and we encourage Catholics to take on their own responsibilities. We are being called to contribute to the shaping the European model that we wish to support and develop”. To this regard the Cardinal underlined, “Europe is also the context in which are inscribed national regulations regarding human dignity”. In France a revision of the law on bioethics, coordinated by States General, is currently under way. This debate “should involve everyone” and will have “a considerable impact in Europe”, His Eminence said, calling the involved parties “not to align with the more permissive Countries”. Portugal: exercising citizenship. On the occasion of the Plenary Meeting of Portugal’s Bishops’ Conference (CEP), closed in Fatima past April 23, the Bishops issued the Pastoral Note “Voting, an exercise of citizenship”. Recalling that this year Portuguese citizens are called to take part in three election rounds (European, National and Local elections) the document states, “Christians ought to feel the duty to clarify the meaning of their vote. It’s a duty of conscience which they can’t refrain from and that must serve as an example to the youth”. The Bishops recalled, “Christians can’t betray their conscience when they cast their vote. The values rooted in faith can’t be separated from family, social and political life. Rather, they ought to be incarnated in all dimensions of human life”. Catholics’ political choices must be in harmony with the values of the Gospel. Poland: candidates that uphold life and the family. In the past weeks, drawing a balance of the five years since Poland’s EU adhesion, (Poland entered the EU on May 1st 2004), the archbishop of Wroclaw, Msgr. Marian Golebiewski stated that without EU membership Poland’s economic and political situation would be much worse and underlined the importance of promoting Christian values in Europe where unfortunately “political lobbies promote neither Christian religion nor thought”. Hence the appeal of the Polish Bishops, calling the faithful to “vote for candidates that fully represent the Catholic Church views on ethical and social issues” like the “protection of human life, marriage and the family” on June 7 elections. Germany: capable of making the future. “Determining together the future development of the States of Europe”: this is the title of the joint appeal issued May 13 by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and by the Council of the German Evangelical Church (EKD). “The seventh direct elections of the European parliament, due to be held June 7 2009, give citizens the possibility of actively taking part in the next five years’ European policies”, is stated in the declaration. Accordingly, “the EU will contribute to future developments only if it enjoys public support and if it is actively supported by all social forces”. The appeal underlines that the European Union “already operates in numerous political fields: thus its legislation significantly influences national law and is reflected on all sectors of citizens’ lives”. The appeal states, “It’s crucial to speak honestly and act constructively on the critical aspects, like criticism on the deficit of democracy, the request of transparency of decision-making processes and increasing bureaucracy. If supported by a common political will, the EU has the possibility of determining the future in Europe and the rest of the world”. Hungary: looking at true values. On May 21 Hungary’s Bishops’ Conference issued a statement on European elections. Sixty-four years after the end of the Second World War and twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain – the bishops wrote – “there has been widespread concern over the fact that in our Continent, Christian culture, along with evangelical and human values, are at risk and are often rejected, at times also by EU politicians”. Given the upcoming elections of the European Parliament, due to be held June 7, Hungarian bishops ask the faithful to exercise their right to vote, to ensure that “European Union functions and decisions that will condition our future be at the service of the good of our Country, of the Church and of all men”. The pastors exhort the faithful to elect candidates who defend the true values: human life, the family, the dignity of work, justice in society and across the nations, solidarity towards those in difficulty, the good of the Catholic Church, of the Hungarian People and of nature. On Sunday May 31 the Statement will be read in Catholic Churches across the Country. Italy: stepping up the integration process. “Enthusiasm for the EU has decreased, but the concreteness of reason and the will to give new thrust to the European project must remain”, Gianni Ambrosio, bishop of Piacenza-Bobbio and delegate of Italy’s Bishops’ Conference at COMECE told SIR May 21st. “In these sixty-four years – the prelate remarked – Europe, with the exception of the Balkans, has lived in peace. The Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, peace was ensured not only in Europe, and the division of the continent came to an end, without a war. I believe these two facts are sufficient to realize that the fragile creature that was born on the ashes of the war went very far. However, a long road lies ahead of us and going to the polls is a valid tool to step up democracy and the integration process”. On May 25, in his prolusion for the General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal President Angelo Bagnasco said: “to the light of the experiences – not all positive – of the past years, Europe must be made of citizens and peoples and not of bureaucracies”. “Europe that can return to be a shining ideal only if it pays attention to consciences and cultures, and if it is be generous towards the outer world due to the faithfulness and creativity of its roots”, His Eminence remarked.