With hope and courage

Cardinal Péter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, primate of Hungary, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, interviewed by SIR Europe, offers a gleam of hope for Europe and an encouragement for ever more conspicuous and effective Christian witness. Benedict XVI calls upon European Churches to undertake a “new evangelization”. What are your concerns, hopes and projects in response to this appeal? “In Europe Christianity left traces also in the cultures of non-believers, in those who never approached the faith. Many elements within European culture are drawn from the Bible, from the Judeo-Christian roots. This should be acknowledged and appreciated. Blessed John Paul II gave a strong stimulus to the promotion of a new evangelization in Europe, an area nurtured by Christianity”. The central theme of the last CCEE plenary assembly in Tirana was in fact the new evangelization in Europe…“In preparation for this assembly, as has happened for the previous ones with reference to the themes we have chosen, we promoted a survey across Europe, a questionnaire that the Bishops’ Conferences and the Western Churches filled in and also enriched. We presented the findings, followed by the address by Msgr. Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. We must continue developing this theme taking into account the mounting secularization across societies, as well as the Churches’ recent experiences for the new evangelization. I think that the mission here in Europe is a need, recognized also by other Christians. Some weeks ago here in Budapest CEC held a dedicated meeting on mission in Europe at the Theology Faculty of the Calvinist University in Budapest. I believe that ecumenical aspects are to be found precisely in mission, in the new evangelization. For example, during our city mission also Protestants and Orthodox shared their faith witness. Metropolitan Michele d’Austria and the Russian Orthodox Church representative attended the panel lecture”.You have been CCEE president since 2006 and you were reconfirmed during the plenary assembly held in Tirana from September 29 to October 2. How do you evaluate this experience? What are the most important decisions that were implemented and those that are yet to be implemented? “The CCEE, the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, is a continental organization founded and recognized by the Holy See, that includes all the Bishops’ Conferences as well as the East European Catholic Churches. This organization extends even beyond European culture, in that it includes all of Russia and Turkey. Therefore it can be best described as a European culture in the broadest sense of the term. All the questions related to pastoral life, and those pertaining to Church life, can be thus examined and addressed in this framework. There are permanent commissions on different sectors. There is also the institutional cooperation with CEC, namely, with the organization encompassing non-Catholic Churches in Europe, thanks to a Joint Commission that holds regular meetings. Ecumenical gatherings at continental level are thus promoted together with CEC. The last meeting of this kind, the third, was held in Romania, Sibiu, in 2007, the year when Romania became a EU member state. In the past years the Orthodox Catholic Forum was set up. The first meeting of the Forum, on the theme of the family, was held in Trent. We celebrated the second meeting on the island of Rhodes, on the invitation of the local Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop and of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. We spoke of the theological and historical aspects of Church-State relations and we found that we share a broad common ground, notably within contemporary Europe”.What do you think should be the approach of European Catholics vis a vis the process for a united Europe? “We received from Jesus Christ the calling to proclaim the Good News to all nations until the end of times. This is true also in the present historical moment and across the European continent. There is nothing greater that people, individuals, can receive than the knowledge and the personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the heart of our mission and this is true also for today. Of course Europe has its cultural, economic, and structural problems. And that is why we have the duty to offer this richness in faithfulness to Jesus Christ, in faithfulness to the trust that was bestowed upon us. It is also our responsibility to seek the ways to bring this truth into the hearts of our contemporaries. For this, Christians in Europe today are called to speak all languages, in linguistic and cultural terms that encompass the language of art, pictures, audiovisuals, the Internet. We must not overlook any form of communication while we bring Christ to Europe, especially those forms of communication that were identified by our contemporaries”.Benedict XVI underlined the need for a new generation of Catholics in politics. Do you think that European Churches could cooperate with a view to European institutions?“The politics that people are familiar with are national politics. European States exist but the responsibilities that most relate to our everyday lives are those assumed at national level. Without the States the preservation and development of European languages and cultures – precious human values – would be unthinkable. The EU can give a positive contribution as regards the reconciliation of peoples, the healing of historical wounds, the strengthening of direct human relations. Moreover, the Lisbon Treaty provides for an organised, structured dialogue also with religious communities. Over the past years, EU leaders in Brussels have invited eminent representatives of religious communities. As relates to Catholic politicians, they created dedicated associations and forms of cooperation. A similar association was set up in Hungary some time ago. It involves practising Catholic MPs and mayors. Although they are a minority they identify themselves as Catholic and share the social doctrine of the Church”. Czech Republic: autumn session of the CeecPrague will host this year’s autumn session of the European Committee for Catholic Education. Congress take place on 6 – 9 October and according to the representatives of the Church schools department of the Bishops’ Conference of Czech republic, it “will be a good opportunity for presentation of Czech Catholic schools and exchange of experiences on european level”. Apart from a special thematic programme of the conference, the delegates will be received by the president of the Bishops’ Conference, Mons. Dominik Duka, and a visit to the Strahov Monastery – part of the Czech religious and cultural heritage – is planned on 8 October. Secretary general of the CEEC, Etienne Verhack, visited Prague in June 2009 and paid special attention to the issue of spiritual formation of directors and teachers in Czech Catholic schools. European Committee for Catholic Education was founded in 1974 and currently represents about 30,500 schools and 7,5 million pupils and students. It is an international non-profit association with headquarters in Brussels and a cooperation tool for 25 European Catholic educational networks. Moreover, it plays the role of a promoter of free Catholic education towards various European bodies.