.- As
he met today with members of the European parliamentary group, the
Popular Party, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Europe to recognize its
Christian roots and charged that ignoring them would be a sign of
immaturity and even weakness.
The group met with the Holy Father during the “Study Days on Europe,” an initiative organized by the party.
Speaking in
English, Benedict told the parliamentarians that "Roman Pontiffs have
always devoted particular attention to this continent; today's audience
is a case in point, and it takes its place in the long series of
meetings between my predecessors and political movements of Christian
inspiration."
He explained
that "At present, Europe has to address complex issues of great
importance, such as the growth and development of European integration,
the increasingly precise definition of neighborhood policy within the
Union and the debate over its social model.”
“In order to
attain these goals,” he continued, “it will be important to draw
inspiration, with creative fidelity, from the Christian heritage which
has made such a particular contribution to forging the identity of this
continent.”
The Holy Father
encouraged Europe to value its Christian roots, and in doing so, he
said they will “be able to give a secure direction to the choices of
its citizens and peoples.”
Likewise, he
said “It will strengthen [Europe’s] awareness of belonging to a common
civilization and it will nourish the commitment of all to address the
challenges of the present for the sake of a better future."
Benedict thanked
the Popular Party for their own "recognition of Europe's Christian
heritage" which, he said, "offers valuable ethical guidelines in the
search for a social model that responds adequately to the demands of an
already globalized economy.”
It will help
assure, he said, “growth and employment, protection of the family,
equal opportunities for education of the young and solicitude for the
poor.”
"Your support
for the Christian heritage,” he told the group, “can contribute
significantly to the defeat of a culture that is now fairly widespread
in Europe, which relegates to the private and subjective sphere the
manifestation of one's own religious convictions.”
“Policies built
on this foundation”, the Pope stressed, “not only entail the
repudiation of Christianity's public role; more generally, they exclude
engagement with Europe's religious tradition, which is so clear,
despite its denominational variations, thereby threatening democracy
itself, whose strength depends on the values that it promotes."
He also pointed
out that opposing or ignoring the European Christian tradition "would
be a sign of immaturity, if not indeed weakness. ... In this context
one has to recognize that a certain secular intransigence shows itself
to be the enemy of tolerance and of a sound secular vision of State and
society."
The Pontiff said
he was pleased however, "that the European Union's constitutional
treaty envisages a structured and ongoing relationship with religious
communities, recognizing their identity and their specific
contribution.”
He said that
above all, he trusts “that the effective and correct implementation of
this relationship will start now, with the cooperation of all political
movements irrespective of party alignments.”
Pope to European politicians: Ignoring Christian heritage is sign of historical immaturity
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