Unity in diversity

What does the Catholic Church in its expressions in 24 EU countries think about Europe as the “common home”? With the aim of summing up the replies to this question in a ‘fresco’ of different situations and sensibilities, SIR Europe has put some questions to the bishop delegates of national Bishops’ Conferences to the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community. This organization, COMECE in short, brings together the representatives of 24 Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. Each bishop was asked to sum up, in personal terms, opinions, concerns and hopes with regard to the European Union.The relation of the Churches with the European Union is not a one-way process: that’s why the bishops were also asked to describe how the Church of their respective countries can contribute to the construction of a kind of Europe that finds in its Christian roots the raison d’être and the strength for authentic human and social development.There was also a question on whether European information, and, in particular, information on the Church in the old continent, is adequate.This series of interviews, which is coordinated by Guillaume Frison and will be published in several numbers of SIR Europe, begins with the replies given by Mgr. Virgil Bercea, Bishop of Oradea Mare (Romania).Mgr. Bercea, among the Catholics of your country, what is the opinion about the European Union? What are their expectations?“The EU is an institution symbolizing unity and diversity. It embodies the fundamental values of Western Culture, which has been shaped in the course of 20 centuries on Christian bases. The Romanian Catholic faithful are very open to the values being developed by the EU because they respond to their aspirations. The catholic faithful have two main expectations vis-à-vis the EU. On the one hand, they wish that the universal values which can be found in religion be shared by the rest of civil society. They expect from the EU an approach to identity which affirms the importance of Christianity in the history of contemporary civilization. On the other hand, they insist on the necessary respect of basic human rights. Furthermore, the Romanian Catholic faithful expect a steadfast intervention of the EU aimed at eliminating certain forms of discrimination, and they wish for the establishment of common standpoints by the ensemble of the Churches of Europe in concrete common situations”.Public opinion grounds on correct information: based on your every-day reality, do you think the Information on the EU and the European Churches is appropriate?“The Romanian media provide for information of general interest. In the Catholic circle, dialogue with the other forms of worship is fostered on the institutional level as well as in the context of local communities living together in the same region. I believe that the Romanian Catholic faithful are well informed about the institutions of the EU and the European Churches”.How can the Church of your country contribute to the European Union?“The contribution offered by the Catholic Church of Romania is articulated on different levels. First of all, the Greek-catholic Church of Romania has already given a significant contribution to the European culture, especially through the implementation of a modern educational system in Transylvania and the current of cultural emancipation called ‘Scoala Ardeleana’. In addition, she has a great experience of dialogue and co-habitation with the other forms of worship in a multiethnic and multi-confessional context. Her ‘theology of dialogue’ goes back to the signature, at the end of the 17th century, of the Act of Union between the Romanian Church of Transylvania and the Church of Rome. Our pursuit of ecumenical dialogue is a major contribution of our Church to Europe. Finally, the Catholic Church of Romania has developed her own school of thought. By formulating well-founded opinions, she can enrich the common reflection in areas such as theology, social studies or bioethics”.How do you assess the work that has been done by the European Churches in the European Union?“The presence of the COMECE Secretariat at Brussels is a very positive element. I would like to emphasise especially the results which have been achieved in the affair of the Crucifix in Italy, also by introducing the expression “aggression to Christian faithful”. The COMECE is very active and regularly informs the Bishops’ Conferences about what is happening in the European Union”.