Rome, Italy, Nov 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Participating in the opening of the new academic year at the Lateran Pontifical University in Rome, former president of Poland, Lech Walesa, said it is urgent Europe rediscovers the concept of freedom.
In a brief but well-received discourse, Walesa recalled the role of Pope John Paul II in awakening the Polish people and how his famous phrase, “Be not afraid,” has echoed throughout his pontificate since the beginning.
Referring to the present-day situation in Europe, the Nobel Peace Prize winner said, “One of the challenges we are called to confront is the spread of a concept of freedom that is only understood as individual free will or as the opportunity for market expansion.”
A Europe without fears