"Europe: accountable before God and men": this is the title of the declaration published today by the German Bishops Conference for the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome. The German Bishops invite "to recall the origins of this European integration process, to adopt the fundamental provisions and to recognise the tasks of Europe". The document refers to the "experience of the war, the dominion of violence, the guilt" as well as the "willingness to make peace and remember" as the "starting points of the European unification process". "The peacemaking and pacifying force was the original spur for the European unification process" and still is "its most important legitimisation". "Europe is no longer synonym with historical rivalries and war, but with the settlement of conflicts and the prevention of conflicts, without resorting to weapons", it reads. "The European Union is "a response to the tragic history of this continent". The German Bishops stressed that "the unconditional primacy of the human being" has been epitomised "since the beginning in a great regard for human rights, for the rights of freedom and for the fundamental social rights". This, they continue, "also reflects the Christian view of the human being". (to be continued)
