A voice for Europe

The Second Catholic – Orthodox Forum held in Rhodes, Greece, from October 18 to 22 which opened in a climate of “mutual respect and brotherly cooperation”, brought together 17 delegates of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), along with 17 representatives of the Orthodox Churches in Europe. A CCEE press release underlines the atmosphere of fraternity that characterized the meeting, which “confirms the mutual respect and desire of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches in Europe to work together in order to provide a common witness to the Gospel of Christ and the values which adherence to the Gospel brings to a Europe marked by secularisation and in search of its identity”. At the end of the meeting participants adopted a joint declaration “to offer to the Churches of Europe a contribution and a common voice on the issue of the presence of the Churches in European society”. On the invitation of the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon, José da Cruz Policarpo the Third Catholic-Orthodox Forum will take place in the Portuguese capital in 2012.The voice of the Churches. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches “wish they could participate more actively in the ethical and moral debates concerning the future of the society”, as stated in the final statement (4 pages, divided into 10 paragraphs), which is the fruit of the 4-day meeting on Church and State relations. “According to us” – continues the declaration – our countries in Europe cannot disregard their Christian roots without being destroyed, since these ethical stakes are key for our future in a globalised world”. In referring to the theme of the Forum, the Churches write: “In Europe, the system of separation, which guarantees cooperation between the Church and the State, is the most common. By separation, we mean the distinction between political and religious domains, rather than mutual neglect, since this would have been impossible to achieve otherwise. The State and the Church, each in their own domains, are independent and autonomous one from another. Said mutual independence and autonomy should leave room for a specific and harmonious cooperation between the two institutions”.Fields of common action. In detail, the declaration points out that “the Churches are willing to make themselves heard”, as regards the protection of life to be of the unborn child, the assistance to people close to death, the family created in line with the traditional Christian understanding of marriage, the care towards marginalized people, the acceptance of migrants, as well as the “protection of the cultural and linguistic identity of European countries”. They add: “the Churches have the obligation to sensitize to these issues and defend the dignity of the human being created in the likeness of God. In particular, the Churches reaffirm the right to conscientious objection for healthcare professionals not willing to practice abortion or euthanasia”. The statement also tackles delicate issues: “The participants in the Forum believe that the role as dominating Church or State Church should not result in a legal discrimination for the other Churches and the members of minority religious groups, whose religious freedom should be fully guaranteed, including the right to profess their faith using any means respecting personal freedom”. Another thorny subject is the restitution of property confiscated to the Churches. “In certain European countries – is written in the statement – in order to accomplish their pastoral, charity and social mission, the Churches are still waiting to have their assets returned, after the seizure on the part of the Communist regimes”.Appeals. Paragraphs 9 and 10 present the Churches’ appeals. “We warn the citizens of our countries about the danger represented by a secularised society with no moral reference points and without a plan, which is worthy of humankind”. The Churches add: “these are intrinsic values in humankind. They precede the law and the state”. Religious freedom “is at the centre of the fundamental rights of the human being, since it gives men the opportunity to freely search for the truth and act in line with it”. The second appeal is addressed to Church members, “to make every possible effort, on all levels of social life, to make the Christian vision of humankind and the human society continue to inspire the behaviour of people and the choices of legislators. We need to revitalise our Christian values and apply them to the current needs of the European society”. The document closes with a final appeal to politicians. “We ask our governments and politicians to commit themselves in guaranteeing religious freedom in Europe and promote it in the world, fighting against any form of discrimination based on religion”, states the joint declaration. “Faced with the tricky phenomenon of multiculturalism in Europe, we reinforce the urgent need for each society to go back to the universal principles of natural ethics, which should set the stage for every form of harmonious coexistence. We confirm our availability to cooperate with public authorities in our own countries, for the common good”.