May 9 of this year marked the 60th anniversary from that unforgettable day when Robert Schuman, that astute French Foreign Minister, offered his suggestion for the establishment of an organised Europe, viewed as essential to preserve peaceful relations among states. His proposal, which incidentally bears his name, the “Schuman declaration”, is generally held to be the genesis of the European Union (EU) institution.
Speaking in Strasbourg on May 16, 1949, a year before its creation, Schuman explained the soul of the EU. “The European spirit signifies being conscious of belonging to a cultural family and having a willingness to serve that community in the spirit of total mutuality, without any hidden motives of hegemony or the selfish exploitation of others. The 19th century saw feudal ideas being opposed and, with the rise of a national spirit, nationalities asserting themselves.
“Our century, that has witnessed the catastrophes resulting in the unending clash of nationalities and nationalisms, must attempt and succeed in reconciling nations in a supranational association. This would safeguard the diversities and aspirations of each nation while coordinating them in the same manner as the regions are coordinated within the unity of the nation.” Is not this European spirit, which Robert Schuman beautifully expounds, fully imbued with the Christian ideals of communion, mutuality, respect, reconciliation, collaboration, underpinned by the underlying paradigmatic principle of unity in diversity? Schuman’s understanding of the European spirit leads me to conclude that the latter is essentially Christian.
In his address upon receiving in audience Yves Gazzo, the new head of the delegation of the Commission of European Communities to the Holy See, on October 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accentuated that the European soul is Christian. “When the Church recalls the Christian roots of Europe, she is not seeking a privileged status for herself. She wishes to make a historical memorial reminding in the first place of a truth – increasingly relegated to silence – namely, to the decidedly Christian inspiration of the Founding Fathers of the European Union. At a more profound level, she also wishes to show that the basis of the values comes above all from the Christian heritage that continues to nourish it even today.”
In Pope Benedict’s words, if “Europe… allow(s) its model of civilisation to be eroded”, precisely by giving in to the allurements of frantic secularisation, thereby gradually obliterating its Christian soul, who can restore back what historically and culturally appertains to it, if not the Church? It is heartening to note that, in front of the ever progressing drama of the European spirit’s disintegration, a divided Church aspiring to be reunified stepped in to help Europe go back to where it truly belongs, i.e. its Christian roots. The courageous and praiseworthy joint declaration by both Pope John Paul II and His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, before the Bema of Saint Paul in Athens on May 4, 2001, was a fruitful attempt in the right direction. In that common declaration, the heads of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in Greece stood their ground by declaring: “We rejoice at the success and progress of the European Union. The union of the European world in one civil entity, without her people losing their national self-awareness, traditions and identity, has been the vision of its pioneers. However, the emerging tendency to transform certain European countries into secular states without any reference to religion constitutes a retraction and a denial of their spiritual legacy. We are called to intensify our efforts so that the unification of Europe may be accomplished. We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved inviolate.” (§ 6).
In his inaugural address that kicked off his visit on the Maltese shores, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that “these islands have played a key role in the political, religious and cultural development of Europe, the Near East, and North Africa”. As an EU Member State, Malta, as Pope John Paul II rightly exhorted, “is called to contribute to the spiritual unity of the old Continent by offering her treasures of Christian faith and values. Europe needs Malta’s faithful witness too.” But how can Malta aid Europe to retrace her vital origins? The answer lies in Benedict XVI’s final address at the conclusion of his apostolic visit. “Be an example, at home and abroad, of dynamic Christian living. Be proud of your Christian vocation. Cherish your religious and cultural heritage. Look to the future with hope, with profound respect for God’s creation, with reverence for human life, and with high esteem for marriage and the integrity of the family! Kunu wlied denji ta’ San Pawl! [Be worthy sons and daughters of Saint Paul !]”.
Happy birthday Europe! Buon lavoro Malta!
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
San Gwann