The contribution of Christianity and the other religions is essential to a Europe that stands as a Community of values. It was stated by the president of the European Commission, Manuel Barroso, as he spoke in Sibiu today at the Third European Ecumenical Assembly. "The mission of Europe in the 21st century he said is to promote economic and social development, and face the challenges of globalisation, while retaining the legacy of the European peoples and respecting their differences". But, he added, "Europe also has a purpose: it must defend and radiate the values to which the Europeans are attached, such as human dignity, freedom, solidarity, tolerance, social justice and the constitutional state". "These values are the cement of European unity" and come "from deep roots, inherited from the peoples and cultures that have come before it. It is a triple legacy, which is expressed by the triad of Athens, Rome and Jerusalem, i.e. philosophy, law and religion; the triad of reason, law and morality, at the source of what we call European civilisation". In this process, "Christianity and its different confessions have been a unifying force, which helped blend in the many contributions of the Celtic, Germanic and Slavic peoples, as well as the appreciable contribution of the Islamic culture".
