Christian heritage and European culture. Less than a month before France assumes the Presidency of the European Union, French Cardinal Paul Poupard discussed the delicate question of Europe's Christian …More
Christian heritage and European culture.
Less than a month before France assumes the Presidency of the European Union, French Cardinal Paul Poupard discussed the delicate question of Europe's Christian roots and their relevance for Europe’s Christian Identity today.
“This identity is a millennium old, it has gone through many different periods, some of which were anti-Christian, and now comes a period of indifference. But you could not understand this if you do not refer to this Christian culture. It's a quasi-ontological necessity, I would say. It is part of our very being. The current challenge is to incarnate this, develop it and make it grow.”
In order to recall over a millennium and a half of Christianity in Europe, Cardinal Poupard notes that the Gospel values built Europe. Even now, they can still be expressed in public to heal society of its problems.
“Practical materialism, relativism, hedonism, little by little these have gone from Western Europe to its heart and to Eastern Europe. And now the entire magisterium of the Pope, the bishops, the episcopal conferences are joining together to help Christians understand what is at stake and to help European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg to help the people they're responsible for, including non-Christians. We need to make everybody understand that being mindful of Europe's Christian culture and heritage will keep Europe faithful to itself.”
Less than a month before France assumes the Presidency of the European Union, French Cardinal Paul Poupard discussed the delicate question of Europe's Christian roots and their relevance for Europe’s Christian Identity today.
“This identity is a millennium old, it has gone through many different periods, some of which were anti-Christian, and now comes a period of indifference. But you could not understand this if you do not refer to this Christian culture. It's a quasi-ontological necessity, I would say. It is part of our very being. The current challenge is to incarnate this, develop it and make it grow.”
In order to recall over a millennium and a half of Christianity in Europe, Cardinal Poupard notes that the Gospel values built Europe. Even now, they can still be expressed in public to heal society of its problems.
“Practical materialism, relativism, hedonism, little by little these have gone from Western Europe to its heart and to Eastern Europe. And now the entire magisterium of the Pope, the bishops, the episcopal conferences are joining together to help Christians understand what is at stake and to help European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg to help the people they're responsible for, including non-Christians. We need to make everybody understand that being mindful of Europe's Christian culture and heritage will keep Europe faithful to itself.”