Address by HH Pope Francis to the European Parliament in formal sitting.

statement

Strasbourg

visit

EU - Holy See (T)

formal sitting

FRANCIS (AR, Pope)

(9) Visit of HH Pope Francis to the European Parliament: address to the European Parliament in formal sitting (11:37 - 11:46)

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19502061/I095196_09Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, How, then, can hope in the future be restored, so that, beginning with the younger generation, there can be a rediscovery of that confidence needed to pursue the great ideal of a united and peaceful Europe, a Europe which is creative and resourceful, respectful of rights and conscious of its duties?

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, To answer this question, allow me to use an image. One of the most celebrated frescoes of Raphael is found in the Vatican and depicts the so-called &ldquo;School of Athens&rdquo;. Plato and Aristotle are in the centre. Plato&rsquo;s finger is pointed upward, to the world of ideas, to the sky, to heaven as we might say. Aristotle holds his hand out before him, towards the viewer, towards the world, concrete reality. This strikes me as a very apt image of Europe and her history, made up of the constant interplay between heaven and earth, where the sky suggests that openness to the transcendent &ndash; to God &ndash; which has always distinguished the peoples of Europe, while the earth represents Europe&rsquo;s practical and concrete ability to confront situations and problems.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, The future of Europe depends on the recovery of the vital connection between these two elements. A Europe which is no longer open to the transcendent dimension of life is a Europe which risks slowly losing its own soul and that &ldquo;humanistic spirit&rdquo; which it still loves and defends.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, Taking as a starting point this opening to the transcendent, I would like to reaffirm the centrality of the human person, which otherwise is at the mercy of the whims and the powers of the moment. I consider to be fundamental not only the legacy that Christianity has offered in the past to the social and cultural formation of the continent, but above all the contribution which it desires to offer today, and in the future, to Europe&rsquo;s growth. This contribution does not represent a threat to the secularity of states or to the independence of the institutions of the European Union, but rather an enrichment. This is clear from the ideals which shaped Europe from the beginning, such as peace, subsidiarity and reciprocal solidarity, and a humanism centred on respect for the dignity of the human person.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, I wish, then, to reiterate the readiness of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, through the Commission of the Bishops&rsquo; Conferences of Europe (COMECE), to engage in meaningful, open and transparent dialogue with the institutions of the European Union. I am likewise convinced that a Europe which is capable of appreciating its religious roots and of grasping their fruitfulness and potential, will be all the more immune to the many forms of extremism spreading in the world today, not least as a result of the great vacuum of ideals which we are currently witnessing in the West, since &ldquo;it is precisely man&rsquo;s forgetfulness of God, and his failure to give him glory, which gives rise to violence&rdquo;.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, Here I cannot fail to recall the many instances of injustice and persecution which daily afflict religious minorities, and Christians in particular, in various parts of our world. Communities and individuals today find themselves subjected to barbaric acts of violence: they are evicted from their homes and native lands, sold as slaves, killed, beheaded, crucified or burned alive, under the shameful and complicit silence of so many.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, The motto of the European Union is United in Diversity. Unity, however, does not mean uniformity of political, economic and cultural life, or ways of thinking. Indeed, all authentic unity draws from the rich diversities which make it up: in this sense it is like a family, which is all the more united when each of its members is free to be fully himself or herself. I consider Europe as a family of peoples who will sense the closeness of the institutions of the Union when these latter are able wisely to combine the desired ideal of unity with the diversity proper to each people, cherishing particular traditions, acknowledging its past history and its roots, liberated from so many manipulations and phobias. Affirming the centrality of the human person means, above all, allowing all to express freely their individuality and their creativity, both as individuals and as peoples.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, At the same time, the specific features of each one represent an authentic richness to the degree that they are placed at the service of all. The proper configuration of the European Union must always be respected, based as it is on the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, so that mutual assistance can prevail and progress can be made on the basis of mutual trust.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament, within this dynamic of unity and particularity, yours is the responsibility of keeping democracy alive, democracy for the peoples of Europe. It is no secret that a conception of unity seen as uniformity strikes at the vitality of the democratic system, weakening the rich, fruitful and constructive interplay of organizations and political parties. This leads to the risk of living in a world of ideas, of mere words, of images, of sophistry&hellip; and to end up confusing the reality of democracy with a new political nominalism. Keeping democracy alive in Europe requires avoiding the many globalizing tendencies to dilute reality: namely, angelic forms of purity, dictatorships of relativism, brands of ahistorical fundamentalism, ethical systems lacking kindness, and intellectual discourse bereft of wisdom.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pope FRANCIS, Keeping democracies alive is a challenge in the present historic moment. The true strength of our democracies &ndash; understood as expressions of the political will of the people &ndash; must not be allowed to collapse under the pressure of multinational interests which are not universal, which weaken them and turn them into uniform systems of economic power at the service of unseen empires. This is one of the challenges which history sets before you today.