Pope: Europe Needs Capacity to Integrate, Dialogue, Generate by ZENIT Staff
“A Europe capable of giving birth to a new humanism based on three capacities: the capacity to integrate, the capacity for dialogue and the capacity to generate” is what Pope Francis says he is hoping for. He made this remark today upon receiving the Charlemagne Prize, awarded by the foundation of the same name to those who distinguish themselves throughout the year for their work in favour of integration and union in Europe.
On 23 December 2015, in Aachen, Germany, it was announced by the executive committee that in 2016 the prize would be awarded to Pope Francis for the message of peace and understanding promoted during his papacy. On this occasion the jury affirmed, “In these times, in which many European citizens are seeking guidance, the Holy Father gives a message of love and encouragement.”
The ceremony, which was attended by major European figures such as King Felipe VI of Spain; the Grand-duke of Luxembourg, Henri of Orange-Nassau; the German chancellor Angela Merkel; the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi; and the president of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, began with the “laudatio” pronounced by Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament; Donald Tusk, president of the European Council and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission.
In the Sala Ducale the choir of the Cathedral of Aachen performed four pieces: at the beginning of the event, before and after the Pope’s address, and at the end. Speeches were also made by the mayor of Aachen, Marcel Philipp and the president of the Charlemagne Foundation, Jürgen Linden, who read the reasons for the jury’s decision. The ceremony was attended by more than five hundred people, including previous prizewinners Andrea Riccardi, president of the Sant’Egidio Community, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank.
In his address, the Pope emphasises that European identity is and has always been dynamic and multicultural, and he encourages the “arming” of the young with the culture of dialogue and encounter to create “coalitions”, not only military and economic, but also cultural, educational, philosophical and religious.
He also evoked Europe’s founding fathers, who “were prepared to pursue alternative and innovative paths in a world scarred by war. Not only did they boldly conceive the idea of Europe, but they dared to change radically the models that had led only to violence and destruction”, daring to to seek multilateral solutions to increasingly shared problems.
He also reaffirmed that the Church can and must support the rebirth of a Europe that is weary but also still rich in energies and possibilities, as “her task is one with her mission: the proclamation of the Gospel, which today more than ever finds expression in going forth to bind the wounds of humanity with the powerful yet simple presence of Jesus, and His mercy that consoles and encourages”.
See full text here: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-for-being-awarded-charlemagne-prize/
Pope’s Morning Homily: God Gives Joy Nobody Can Take Away by Deborah Castellano Lubov
Christians do not “anesthetize” or numb pain, but live through it aware that God gives us a joy that nobody can take away.
According to Vatican Radio, this was at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily this morning during his Mass at Casa Santa Marta.
The Holy Father drew his inspiration from the day’s reading where Jesus warns his disciples of a coming sadness, but says it will be transformed later into a cry of joy, and urged faithful to always maintain their joy and hope, even when in times of suffering.
Specifically, the Argentine Pontiff used the example of a woman in labour.
“She’s in pain because her time has come, but when she gives birth to her baby she no longer remembers the suffering.” She carries on hoping throughout the pain, and then she rejoices.
“This is (the impact of) what joy and hope together can have on our lives, when we are facing tribulations, when we have problems, when we are suffering. It is not an anesthesia. Pain is pain but if lived through with joy and hope it will open the door for you to the joy of a new being.
“This image of the Lord should give us great hope amidst our difficulties: difficulties that often are awful, horrible difficulties that can even make us doubt our faith… But with joy and hope we journey forward because after this tempest a new man arrives, just like with a woman giving birth. And Jesus tells us that this is a lasting joy and hope that will not go away.”
Open Self to Joy, Hope
Francis explained that the joy and hope of a Christian are always tied together and they should not be confused with simple happiness or optimism.
“A joy without hope is just enjoyment, a temporary happiness. A hope without joy is not hope and doesn’t extend beyond a healthy optimism.
“Joy and hope always journey together and both of them create this explosion that the Church in her liturgy almost cries out — allow me to say the word — without shame: ‘Rejoice for your Church!, Rejoice – without formality. Because when there is a strong joy, there’s no formality, just joy.”
Joy and hope, the Pope stressed, depend upon each other to flourish and urged Christians to open out towards others with these two virtues.
A Joy That Lasts
“Joyful people do not stay closed in on themselves: hope makes you open outwards, it is just like an anchor on the shore of heaven that pulls us up and out. Open out from ourselves, with joy and hope.”
Human joy can be taken away at any time, the Pope warned, but the joy Jesus gives us is everlasting and nobody can take it away from us
“It remains,” Pope Francis underscored, “even during our darkest moments.”
Readings provided by the US bishops’ conference:
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 295
Reading 1 ACTS 18:9-18
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
“If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.
Responsorial Psalm PS 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He brings people under us;
nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia SEE LK 24:46, 26
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 16:20-23
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Vatican to Buddhists: We Agree ‘Eco-Crisis’ Is an ‘Ego-Crisis’ by Deborah Castellano Lubov
The Vatican has sent a message for the Buddhist Feast of Vesakh, saying both religions recognize that the ‘eco-crisis’ is an ‘ego-crisis.’
This feast is the most important holiday for Buddhists, for it commemorates the principal events of the life of Buddha, and is celebrated on different dates, according to different traditions, in the various countries of Buddhist culture. This year, the festival is celebrated in some countries on May 14, while in others between 20 and 21 May.
On the occasion, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sent Buddhists a message today, which calls for both religions to work together to protect the planet.
This year’s message was inspired by His Holiness Pope Francis’s Encyclical Letter, Laudato Sì, On the Care for Our Common Home, the interfaith council writes, noting how Buddhists have likewise expressed concern about the degradation of the environment in the documents The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change and Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders.
These documents, the dicastery points out, demonstrate a shared understanding that at the center of the eco-crisis is, “an ego-crisis, expressed by human greed, anxiety, arrogance and ignorance.”
“Our lifestyles and expectations, therefore, must change in order overcome the deterioration of our surroundings,” it notes.
Working Together
“As the crisis of climate change is contributed to by human activity, we, Christians and Buddhists, must work together to confront it with an ecological spirituality.”
An interreligious cooperation and education in environmental responsibility, it continues, is urgent due to the acceleration of global environmental problems.
The message concludes, praying both religions cooperate together “in liberating humanity from the suffering brought about by climate change, and contribute to the care of our common home.”
* * *
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/vaticans-message-for-buddhist-feast-of-vesakh/
23 New Recruits for Swiss Guard Sworn in Today by ZENIT Staff
The swearing-in ceremony for new Swiss Guards is held each May 6 to commemorate the death of 147 Swiss soldiers who fell defending the Pope during the Sack of Rome (1527). This afternoon, in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, 23 new recruits pronounced their solemn oath, and tomorrow they and their families will be received in audience by the Holy Father.
Related: Meet one of the new recruits.
The day began with the opening Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who in his homily invited the future guard to be witnesses to Christ in today’s world, in spite of many difficulties. “Be witnesses of Christ also in your country, Switzerland”, he said, “in a world that yearns for light and life but often does not have the courage to accept it, among young people like you who hunger for meaning and fullness, so that you can show them the value of great and beautiful things, even if this commitment and effort is accompanied by some hardship.”
“Dear guards”, the Cardinal continued, “do not wait; begin today to bear witness and, with your faithfulness in daily service to the Holy Father, with your fraternity and the good relations between you, with your example of faith, that the Lord is alive, compassionate and merciful, that He wishes to be close to men, that He wants to bring peace, happiness and true fulfilment to heal all wounds.”
“Look to your patron saints today, at the time of your oath, with your right hand raised to heaven, and invoke them to help you accomplish what you promise. Their hearts were filled with the joy of the Lord, that no-one can take away. Thus Saints Martin, Sebastian and Nicholas de Flue knew how to be true instruments in the hands of God, wherever the Lord led them and to whatever He asked of them as soldiers or bishop, as guards and martyrs, as fathers, hermits or advisers of peace. Therefore, let us ask by the intercession of Mary Most Holy, of the holy apostles Peter and Paul and the patron saints of the Guard, to be docile instruments of God and to show to the men and women of our world that you are true witnesses of Christ,” concluded the cardinal.
The Pontifical Swiss Guard performs security services (entry control, security service and bodyguard service), and services of honour (audiences, receptions, Masses), but the primary mission of the Corps is to monitor continuously the security of the Holy Father and his residence. Their complementary tasks include accompanying the Pope on his travels and protecting the College of Cardinals when the Apostolic See is vacant.
Related: See the new Vatican Cookbook from the Swiss Guard.
Meet One of the New Recruits by Sergio Mora
Today, 23 new Swiss Guards were sworn in.
This week, ZENIT talked to one of the 23 recruits, a Swiss from the Italian canton, who commented on the emotion of being able to swear to serve the Pope and the Church.
“My name is Mauro Giovanola. I live in Briganzona near Lugano, in the canton of Ticino. I have been here in the Swiss Guard for three months and am ready to take the oath,” he said, adding that joining the Guard was a personal decision which had much support from his family, his parish and his friends. He pointed out that before coming to the Vatican he attended the Recruits’ School in the Swiss city of Fribourg and then decided to come to Rome.
Related: Read about today’s swearing-in ceremony.
Asked about his faith, Giovanola said he is a Catholic and conscious that the oath “is a moral commitment, an obligation we assume and we must respect what we have sworn, otherwise it would make no sense.”
The young guard explained that their first mission is “to protect the Holy Father,” and also to “control the entrances and exits of Vatican City,” to be a “service of order” in the Square during the Audiences, to engage in the service of honour, that is, “to be a watchman during the Audiences.”
The recruit of the world’s smallest and most famous army admitted that “as in all schools of recruits, the training has a hard part” but there is also a simple part.
About his period of service, he said: “I will stay for at least two years, but it might be three or more. What I’ve liked most in this period is being a guard, but also being in the Vatican because I am a Catholic.”
In addition, Giovanola has enjoyed the environment in the barracks. “I have met many friends and the service in the Square, with the pilgrims who come to attend the Holy Father’s ceremonies, is very moving.”
It is a mission that has its dangerous side, he explained: “as guards we look like guards,” although what is most particular is to “work near the Holy Father every day, and although we are not always in direct contact, we attend many ceremonies where he is.”
“Although we are in a barrack, we have, so to speak, our parish, with Masses on feast days and Sundays,” he said. He pointed out that he was aware that every year, at the end of their service, a Swiss Guard decides to become a priest and, smiling, he added ”but that’s not known until the call comes …”
During some of their times on guard, for instance, they can engage in other activities and even pray the Rosary but that, he said, depends on each one.
Melbourne Auxiliary Named Bishop of Parramatta by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen, O.F.M. Conv., auxiliary of Melbourne, Australia, as bishop of Parramatta, Australia.
Vincent Long Van Nguyen was born Dec. 3, 1961, in Dong Nai, Vietnam, and ordained a priest of the Conventual Franciscans in 1989. He was named an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne in 2011.
The diocese has a population of just over 1 million, with about 324,000 Catholics. They are served by around 135 priests and 365 religious.
Book Review: Move Over Gatsby, Mr. Blue Is Back (and Better Than Ever!) by Edward Mulholland
“Do we have to read the introduction?” my literature students sometimes ask. I often reply, “Not now, but if you want to understand the book better, be sure to read it when you’re done.”
Finally, a book that agrees. Dr. Stephen Mirarchi’s brand new edition of Myles Connolly’s 1928 classic Mr. Blue is a summer must-read.
The introduction has spoiler alerts and tells you to read it at the end. If you do, especially with the benefit of Mirarchi’s excellent annotations throughout the novel, you will understand why it is Connolly, and not Fitzgerald, who wrote the definitive novel of the roaring 20s, when those 20s starting roaring toward the crash. This is especially true when viewed with Catholic eyes.
First published five years after Gatsby in 1928, Mr. Blue follows J. Blue as he goes from rags to riches, only to give his wealth away and fall for Lady Poverty.
In his book on St. Thomas Aquinas, G.K. Chesterton said. “The Saint is a medicine because he is an antidote. Indeed that is why the saint is often a martyr; he is mistaken for a poison because he is an antidote. He will generally be found restoring the world to sanity by exaggerating whatever the world neglects, which is by no means always the same element in every age.” Chesterton himself wrote, in the roaring materialistic 20s (published in 1923), his amazing work on Lady Poverty’s favorite consort, St. Francis himself.
Praise for this edition, and for Mirarchi’s notes, which are extremely scholarly and also very readable (a rare occurrence, alas!) has come from Catholic literary stalwarts like Joseph Pearce and Pepperdine University’s Paul Contino.
Published by Cluny Media, whose mission is to “promote the Catholic intellectual tradition and the values of traditional Judeo-Christian culture by supporting educators and families through the publication and dissemination of out-of-print books and the collection and efficient dissemination of educational materials,” this new edition shows that the fallen away materialism of the world Fitzgerald portrays in The Great Gatsby, as morally bankrupt as the country was to become financially, is not the last word. There are those who choose poverty because of the spiritual coffers she opens to her devotees.
As we approach the 20s of our own century, where greed and financial bubbles abound, we would do well to reflect on Connolly’s depiction of Mr. Blue’s life. Kudos to Dr. Mirarchi and to Cluny Media for giving us the chance. Put this one on your summer list!
EU Establishes New Position to Address Religious Freedom Issues by ZENIT Staff
The president of the European Commission issued a decision today that establishes a new position designed to effectively address the growing restrictions on religious freedom internationally. Former European Union Commissioner and Slovak politician Ján Figel will take on the role of special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion and belief outside the EU.
The decision was made public at the Vatican on the occasion of the award of the Charlemagne Prize to Pope Francis. It refers to February’s resolution on the systematic mass murder being committed by ISIS, in which the European Parliament called for the creation of a special representative for these matters.
“Anti-conversion laws, blasphemy laws, and other legal restrictions lead to social exclusion and even physical persecution today,” said Sophia Kuby, director of EU Advocacy for Alliance Defending Freedom International. “An increasing number of people are not free to live out their faith according to their conscience. With the growing persecution of religious minorities throughout the world, the European Union must act beyond political statements and resolutions.”
“Freedom of religion is a principle inherent to the foundation of the European Union,” said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the announcement of the special envoy. “The persistent persecution of religious and ethnic minorities makes protecting and promoting this freedom inside and outside the EU all the more essential.”
“ADF International welcomes the establishment of the EU special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion and belief,” said Kuby. “We congratulate Ján Figel on his appointment to this vital position. We are confident that this new envoy position will give a voice to the voiceless and start a new chapter in which the EU takes its human rights obligations more seriously.”
The establishment of the special envoy comes at a time when freedom of conscience, religion, and belief are receiving significant attention. Recently, members of the European Parliament from four political groups signed a declaration on the importance of strengthening the fundamental right to freedom of conscience. The declaration cited concern over an increasing deterioration of this fundamental right throughout Europe and the world.
The parliamentarians called on the European Union and its member states to comply with their legal obligations and ensure “robust protection of freedom of conscience.”
Pope’s Address at Being Awarded Charlemagne Prize by ZENIT Staff
Below is the Vatican-provided text of the address Pope Francis gave after having been awarded the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, the oldest and best-known prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification, today in the Vatican:
***
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I offer you a cordial welcome and I thank you for your presence. I am particularly grateful to Messrs Marcel Philipp, Jürgen Linden, Martin Schulz, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk for their kind words. I would like to reiterate my intention to offer this prestigious award for Europe. For ours is not so much a celebration as a moment to express our shared hope for a new and courageous step forward for this beloved continent.
Creativity, genius and a capacity for rebirth and renewal are part of the soul of Europe. In the last century, Europe bore witness to humanity that a new beginning was indeed possible. After years of tragic conflicts, culminating in the most horrific war ever known, there emerged, by God’s grace, something completely new in human history. The ashes of the ruins could not extinguish the ardent hope and the quest of solidarity that inspired the founders of the European project. They laid the foundations for a bastion of peace, an edifice made up of states united not by force but by free commitment to the common good and a definitive end to confrontation. Europe, so long divided, finally found its true self and began to build its house.
This “family of peoples”,1 which has commendably expanded in the meantime, seems of late to feel less at home within the walls of the common home. At times, those walls themselves have been built in a way varying from the insightful plans left by the original builders. Their new and exciting desire to create unity seems to be fading; we, the heirs of their dream, are tempted to yield to our own selfish interests and to consider putting up fences here and there. Nonetheless, I am convinced that resignation and weariness do not belong to the soul of Europe, and that even “our problems can become powerful forces for unity”.2
In addressing the European Parliament, I used the image of Europe as a grandmother. I noted that there is a growing impression that Europe is weary, aging, no longer fertile and vital, that the great ideals that inspired Europe seem to have lost their appeal. There is an impression that Europe is declining, that it has lost its ability to be innovative and creative, and that it is more concerned with preserving and dominating spaces than with generating processes of inclusion and change. There is an impression that Europe is tending to become increasingly “entrenched”, rather than open to initiating new social processes capable of engaging all individuals and groups in the search for new and productive solutions to current problems. Europe, rather than protecting spaces, is called to be a mother who generates processes (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 223).
What has happened to you, the Europe of humanism, the champion of human rights, democracy and freedom? What has happened to you, Europe, the home of poets, philosophers, artists, musicians, and men and women of letters? What has happened to you, Europe, the mother of peoples and nations, the mother of great men and women who upheld, and even sacrificed their lives for, the dignity of their brothers and sisters?
The writer Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, has said that what we need today is a “memory transfusion”. We need to “remember”, to take a step back from the present to listen to the voice of our forebears. Remembering will help us not to repeat our past mistakes (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 108), but also to re-appropriate those experiences that enabled our peoples to surmount the crises of the past. A memory transfusion can free us from today’s temptation to build hastily on the shifting sands of immediate results, which may produce “quick and easy short-term political gains, but do not enhance human fulfilment” (ibid., 224).
To this end, we would do well to turn to the founding fathers of Europe. They were prepared to pursue alternative and innovative paths in a world scarred by war. Not only did they boldly conceive the idea of Europe, but they dared to change radically the models that had led only to violence and destruction. They dared to seek multilateral solutions to increasingly shared problems.
Robert Schuman, at the very birth of the first European community, stated that “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity”.3 Today, in our own world, marked by so much conflict and suffering, there is a need to return to the same de facto solidarity and concrete generosity that followed the Second World War, because, as Schuman noted, “world peace cannot be safeguarded without making creative efforts proportionate to the dangers threatening it”.4 The founding fathers were heralds of peace and prophets of the future. Today more than ever, their vision inspires us to build bridges and tear down walls. That vision urges us not to be content with cosmetic retouches or convoluted compromises aimed at correcting this or that treaty, but courageously to lay new and solid foundations. As Alcide De Gasperi stated, “equally inspired by concern for the common good of our European homeland”, all are called to embark fearlessly on a “construction project that demands our full quota of patience and our ongoing cooperation”.5
Such a “memory transfusion” can enable us to draw inspiration from the past in order to confront with courage the complex multipolar framework of our own day and to take up with determination the challenge of “updating” the idea of Europe. A Europe capable of giving birth to a new humanism based on three capacities: the capacity to integrate, the capacity for dialogue and the capacity to generate.
The capacity to integrate
Erich Przywara, in his splendid work Idee Europa [The Idea of Europe], challenges us to think of the city as a place where various instances and levels coexist. He was familiar with the reductionist tendency inherent in every attempt to rethink the social fabric. Many of our cities are remarkably beautiful precisely because they have managed to preserve over time traces of different ages, nations, styles and visions. We need but look at the inestimable cultural patrimony of Rome to realize that the richness and worth of a people is grounded in its ability to combine all these levels in a healthy coexistence. Forms of reductionism and attempts at uniformity, far from generating value, condemn our peoples to a cruel poverty: the poverty of exclusion. Far from bestowing grandeur, riches and beauty, exclusion leads to vulgarity, narrowness, and cruelty. Far from bestowing nobility of spirit, it brings meanness.
The roots of our peoples, the roots of Europe, were consolidated down the centuries by the constant need to integrate in new syntheses the most varied and discrete cultures. The identity of Europe is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity.
Political activity cannot fail to see the urgency of this fundamental task. We know that “the whole is greater than the part, but it is also greater than the sum of the parts”, and this requires that we work to “broaden our horizons and see the greater good which will benefit us all” (Evangelii Gaudium, 235). We are asked to promote an integration that finds in solidarity a way of acting, a means of making history. Solidarity should never be confused with charitable assistance, but understood as a means of creating opportunities for all the inhabitants of our cities – and of so many other cities – to live with dignity. Time is teaching us that it is not enough simply to settle individuals geographically: the challenge is that of a profound cultural integration.
The community of European peoples will thus be able to overcome the temptation of falling back on unilateral paradigms and opting for forms of “ideological colonization”. Instead, it will rediscover the breadth of the European soul, born of the encounter of civilizations and peoples. The soul of Europe is in fact greater than the present borders of the Union and is called to become a model of new syntheses and of dialogue. The true face of Europe is seen not in confrontation, but in the richness of its various cultures and the beauty of its commitment to openness. Without this capacity for integration, the words once spoken by Konrad Adenauer will prove prophetic: “the future of the West is not threatened as much by political tensions as by the danger of conformism, uniformity of thoughts and feelings: in a word, by the whole system of life, by flight from responsibility, with concern only for oneself.”6
The capacity for dialogue
If there is one word that we should never tire of repeating, it is this: dialogue. We are called to promote a culture of dialogue by every possible means and thus to rebuild the fabric of society. The culture of dialogue entails a true apprenticeship and a discipline that enables us to view others as valid dialogue partners, to respect the foreigner, the immigrant and people from different cultures as worthy of being listened to. Today we urgently need to engage all the members of society in building “a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter” and in creating “a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society” (Evangelii Gaudium, 239). Peace will be lasting in the measure that we arm our children with the weapons of dialogue, that we teach them to fight the good fight of encounter and negotiation. In this way, we will bequeath to them a culture capable of devising strategies of life, not death, and of inclusion, not exclusion.
This culture of dialogue should be an integral part of the education imparted in our schools, cutting across disciplinary lines and helping to give young people the tools needed to settle conflicts differently than we are accustomed to do. Today we urgently need to build “coalitions” that are not only military and economic, but cultural, educational, philosophical and religious. Coalitions that can make clear that, behind many conflicts, there is often in play the power of economic groups. Coalitions capable of defending people from being exploited for improper ends. Let us arm our people with the culture of dialogue and encounter.
The capacity to generate
Dialogue, with all that it entails, reminds us that no one can remain a mere onlooker or bystander. Everyone, from the smallest to the greatest, has an active role to play in the creation of an integrated and reconciled society. This culture of dialogue can come about only if all of us take part in planning and building it. The present situation does not permit anyone to stand by and watch other people’s struggles. On the contrary, it is a forceful summons to personal and social responsibility.
In this sense, our young people have a critical role. They are not the future of our peoples; they are the present. Even now, with their dreams and their lives they are forging the spirit of Europe. We cannot look to the future without offering them the real possibility to be catalysts of change and transformation. We cannot envision Europe without letting them be participants and protagonists in this dream.
Lately I have given much thought to this. I ask myself: How we can involve our young people in this building project if we fail to offer them employment, dignified labour that lets them grow and develop through their handiwork, their intelligence and their abilities? How can we tell them that they are protagonists, when the levels of employment and underemployment of millions of young Europeans are continually rising? How can we avoid losing our young people, who end up going elsewhere in search of their dreams and a sense of belonging, because here, in their own countries, we don’t know how to offer them opportunities and values?
The just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labour is not mere philanthropy. It is a moral obligation.7 If we want to rethink our society, we need to create dignified and well-paying jobs, especially for our young people.
To do so requires coming up with new, more inclusive and equitable economic models, aimed not at serving the few, but at benefiting ordinary people and society as a whole. This calls for moving from a liquid economy to a social economy; I think for example of the social market economy encouraged by my predecessors (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Address to the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, 8 November 1990). It would involve passing from an economy directed at revenue, profiting from speculation and lending at interest, to a social economy that invests in persons by creating jobs and providing training.
We need to move from a liquid economy prepared to use corruption as a means of obtaining profits to a social economy that guarantees access to land and lodging through labour. Labour is in fact the setting in which individuals and communities bring into play “many aspects of life: creativity, planning for the future, developing talents, living out values, relating to others, giving glory to God. It follows that, in the reality of today’s global society, it is essential that we ‘continue to prioritize the role of access to steady employment for everyone, no matter the limited interests of business and dubious economic reasoning’8” (Encyclical Laudato Si’, 127).
If we want a dignified future, a future of peace for our societies, we will only be able to achieve it by working for genuine inclusion, “an inclusion which provides worthy, free, creative, participatory and solidary work”.9 This passage (from a liquid economy to a social economy) will not only offer new prospects and concrete opportunities for integration and inclusion, but will makes us once more capable of envisaging that humanism of which Europe has been the cradle and wellspring.
To the rebirth of a Europe weary, yet still rich in energies and possibilities, the Church can and must play her part. Her task is one with her mission: the proclamation of the Gospel, which today more than ever finds expression in going forth to bind the wounds of humanity with the powerful yet simple presence of Jesus, and his mercy that consoles and encourages. God desires to dwell in our midst, but he can only do so through men and women who, like the great evangelizers of this continent, have been touched by him and live for the Gospel, seeking nothing else. Only a Church rich in witnesses will be able to bring back the pure water of the Gospel to the roots of Europe. In this enterprise, the path of Christians towards full unity is a great sign of the times and a response to the Lord’s prayer “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).
With mind and heart, with hope and without vain nostalgia, like a son who rediscovers in Mother Europe his roots of life and faith, I dream of a new European humanism, one that involves “a constant work of humanization” and calls for “memory, courage, [and] a sound and humane utopian vision”.10 I dream of a Europe that is young, still capable of being a mother: a mother who has life because she respects life and offers hope for life. I dream of a Europe that cares for children, that offers fraternal help to the poor and those newcomers seeking acceptance because they have lost everything and need shelter. I dream of a Europe that is attentive to and concerned for the infirm and the elderly, lest they be simply set aside as useless. I dream of a Europe where being a migrant is not a crime but a summons to greater commitment on behalf of the dignity of every human being. I dream of a Europe where young people breathe the pure air of honesty, where they love the beauty of a culture and a simple life undefiled by the insatiable needs of consumerism, where getting married and having children is a responsibility and a great joy, not a problem due to the lack of stable employment. I dream of a Europe of families, with truly effective policies concentrated on faces rather than numbers, on birth rates more than rates of consumption. I dream of a Europe that promotes and protects the rights of everyone, without neglecting its duties towards all. I dream of a Europe of which it will not be said that its commitment to human rights was its last utopia.
____________________[1] Address to the European Parliament, Strasbourg, 25 November 2014.
2 Ibid.
3 Declaration of 9 May 1950, Salon de l’Horloge, Quai d’Orsay, Paris
4 Ibid.
5 Address to the European Parliamentary Conference, Paris, 21 April 1954.
6 Address to the Assembly of German Artesans, Düsseldorf, 27 April 1952.
7 Address to Popular Movements in Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 9 July 2015.
8 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 32: AAS 101 (2009), 666.
9 Address to Popular Movements in Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 9 July 2015.
10 Address to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 25 November 2014.[00735-EN.01] [Original text: Italian]
Vatican’s Message for Buddhist Feast of Vesakh by ZENIT Staff
Here is the message from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to Buddhists on their feast of Vesakh. The English-language message was released by the Vatican today.
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Buddhists and Christians:
Together to Foster Ecological Education
Dear Buddhist Friends,
1. In the name of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, we are pleased to extend once again our best wishes on the occasion Vesakh, as you commemorate three significant events in the life of Gautama Buddha – his birth, enlightenment and death. We wish you peace, tranquillity and joy in your hearts, within your families and in your country.
2. This year we write to you inspired by His Holiness Pope Francis’s Encyclical Letter, Laudato Sì,On the Care for Our Common Home. His Holiness notes that “the external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. For this reason, the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion” (n. 217). Moreover, he states that “our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual unless we strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature” (n. 215). “Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment” (n. 211). In response, Pope Francis proposes that “ecological education can take place in a variety of settings: at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere” (n. 213).
3. Dear Buddhist friends, you have also expressed concern about the degradation of the environment, which is attested to by the documents The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change and Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders. These evidence a shared understanding that at the centre of the eco-crisis is, in fact, an ego-crisis, expressed by human greed, anxiety, arrogance and ignorance. Our lifestyles and expectations, therefore, must change in order overcome the deterioration of our surroundings. “Cultivating the insight of inter-being and compassion, we will be able to act out of love, not fear, to protect our planet” (Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders). Otherwise, “When the Earth becomes sick, we become sick, because we are part of her” (The Time to Act is Now).
4. As the crisis of climate change is contributed to by human activity, we, Christians and Buddhists, must work together to confront it with an ecological spirituality. The acceleration of global environmental problems has added to the urgency of interreligious cooperation. Education in environmental responsibility and the creation of an “ecological citizenship” require virtue-oriented ecological ethics such as respect and care for nature. There is a pressing need for the followers of all religions to transcend their boundaries and join together in building an ecologically responsible social order based on shared values. In countries where Buddhists and Christians live and work side by side, we can support the health and sustainability of the planet through joint educational programmes aimed at raising ecological awareness and promoting joint initiatives.
5. Dear Buddhist friends, may we cooperate together in liberating humanity from the suffering brought about by climate change, and contribute to the care of our common home. In this spirit, we wish you once again a peaceful and joyful feast of Vesakh.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
President
Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
Secretary[Original text: English] [Vatican-provided text]
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