Madrid, Spain, Nov 25, 2003 / 22:00 pm
During the opening of the Symposium on the Social Doctrine of the Church, organized by the Spanish Bishops Conference, Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, recalled the Christian roots of the European continent and warned about the suicidal nature of an exaggerated “multiculturalism.”
The Cardinal inaugurated the symposium, which has as its theme, “Human Rights—a Permanent Defense,” marking the 40th anniversary of the encyclical Pacem in Terris by John XXIII.
During the meeting, which concluded on Saturday, Cardinal Poupard said the encyclical was a “true spiritual testament” of Blessed John XXIII and he lamented that since the promulgation of the encyclical and despite the changes the world has seen in the last 40 years, “only one thing seems to have stayed the same since then: the permanent threat to peace.”
“The search for a cultural identity which is built in harmony becomes, therefore, a priority for there to be peace,” said the Cardinal. “When the Holy Father tirelessly reminds us of the Christian roots of Europe, and mustering up strength in his frailty, he mobilized the Holy See to ensure that the future EU constitution include a reference to them, it is evident that he is not seeking special privileges for the Catholic Church.”