Six messages

The 86th Social Week of France (SSF), titled “Democracy, a new idea”, took place past November 25 to 27. During the three-day meeting economists, philosophers, politicians, journalists and sociologists delivered panel lectures before 3500 participants convened from all over France and from other European countries. The closing speech, as by tradition, was delivered by th SSF president Jérôme Vignon, who summarized them for SIR Europe in the following messages: To politics. “Politics is unwell, but it could be regenerated within the ongoing crisis. The Social Weeks invite the political leadership to take the reins of the Countries in dire straits, and most of all, not to underestimate the citizens’ willingness to undertake a long-term commitment for a vision. We ask politicians not to speak only about rigor but to show us an horizon, the path that we may follow. Citizens, precisely because of the crisis, are ready to commit themselves”.To Europe. “It’s time for Europe to recover her spiritual roots. The promises Europeans made in the 1950s, pledging they would no longer wage war against each another, have been partly fulfilled, given the absence of conflicts. But today there is much more. In fact, peoples enter Europe through mutual cooperation and support. It’s time for solidarity, whose deepest meaning we ought to recover, notably at the light of the situation of France, Greece, Italy and other European countries. A state of the soul based on reconciliation and on citizens’ commitment, on the courage and the determination of political leaders in European countries”.To the Church. “To the Church we’re asking to give witness to her spiritual and civic vocation, to encourage citizens’ virtues, the absence of which is the absence of democracy. To give witness to her capacity of bestowal, of prompting development, mutual encounter, along with the yearning for freedom, justice and equality. We need this spiritual hope, without which there can be nothing good, which could flourish in the next generations of citizens. Changing our hearts is a “civic” commitment of the Church. Vatican II has given to the laity a particular mission of acting as the yeast in the bread, prompting and sustaining the social mission of all peoples through Christian hope”.To educators and families. “The role of educators and formators, starting with the family, has gained renewed complexity, as it is viewed as competition with social networks, the media and the new technologies, through which the young generations are increasingly independent and protagonists. It is the right occasion to tell educators that the future of their lives as men and women cannot be confined to their professional skills: true greatness lies in the ability to listen, to engage in dialogue, meet people, create bonds, and wish for other people to live in this way. The importance of listening, of a fatherly presence, are priceless values, that are necessary in the long path of education”.To the youth. “Commitment can’t be confined to the humanitarian and social fields, nor to environmental issues, which are nonetheless necessary. The benchmark of world democracy and freedom is political commitment, that the youth should not underestimate. It is necessary to value political commitment, which is one of the highest forms of charity”.To communicators. “Journalists have a complex role that cannot be replaced, as it entails communication and mediation. The Social Weeks launched an appeal to seek the truth, rather than scoops. The primary task of a journalist or a person responsible for communication is to shed a ray of light on the facts that are perhaps richer and more beautiful than reported by a certain press. Truth is sometimes better than how it is described in newspaper articles, which usually delve into negative aspects only. For example, in the reports on the developments in Egypt or Tunisia, should be included the wishes of the hearts, that are many more than the headlines we read. These events challenge us, and they represent and invitation to recover the European heritage, namely, democracy, which we are called to remain loyal to.