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LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
ON EUROPE
The following is the letter addressed by the
Holy Father to His Eminence the Secretary of
State on the 40th anniversary of the Commission
of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European
Community (COMECE), the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between
the Holy See and the European Union, and the
50th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See
as Permanent Observer at the Council of Europe.
To coincide with these anniversaries, a visit by
Cardinal Parolin to Brussels was planned for the
days 28 to 30 October, but has been cancelled
due to the worsening of the health emergency. It
is expected that the meetings with the
authorities of the European Union and the
members of COMECE can be held by video
connection.
To my Venerable Brother
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State
This year the Holy See and the Church in Europe
celebrate several significant anniversaries.
Fifty years ago, cooperation between the
Holy See and the European institutions that
arose in the period following the Second World
War took concrete form by the establishment of
diplomatic relations between the then European
Community and by the Holy See’s presence as an
Observer at the Council of Europe. In 1980, the
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the
European Communities (COMECE) was founded,
composed of delegates from the Bishops’
Conferences of all the member states of the
European Union, for the sake of promoting
“closer cooperation between those episcopates
with regard to pastoral questions related to the
development of the areas of competence and
activities of the Union”.[1] This year also
marked the seventieth anniversary of the Schuman
Declaration, an event of capital importance that
inspired the gradual process of the continent’s
integration, making it possible to overcome the
animosity resulting from the two world wars.
In the light of these events, you are planning
in the near future to make significant visits to
the authorities of the European Union, the
Plenary Assembly of COMECE and the authorities
of the Council of Europe. In this regard, I
consider it important to share with you some
reflections on the future of this continent so
dear to me, not only because of my family’s
origins but also because of the central role
that it has had, and, I believe, must continue
to have, albeit with different accents, in the
history of humanity.
That role is all the more pertinent in the
context of the pandemic we are now experiencing.
The European project arose from a determination
to end past divisions. It was born of the
realization that unity and cooperation make for
strength, that “unity is greater than
conflict”[2] and that solidarity can be “a way
of making history in a life setting where
conflicts, tensions and oppositions can achieve
a diversified and life-giving unity”.[3] In our
own days, which “show signs of a certain
regression”,[4] a growing tendency for all to go
their own separate ways, the pandemic has
emerged as a kind of a watershed, forcing us to
take a stand. We can either continue to pursue
the path we have taken in the past decade,
yielding to the temptation to autonomy and thus
to ever greater misunderstanding, disagreement
and conflict, or we can rediscover the path of
fraternity that inspired and guided the founders
of modern Europe, beginning precisely with
Robert Schuman.
As the experience of Europe in recent months has
shown, the pandemic has made this increasingly
evident. On the one hand, we have witnessed the
temptation to go it alone, seeking unilateral
solutions to a problem that transcends state
borders. Yet thanks to the great spirit of
mediation that distinguishes the European
institutions, we have also seen a determination
to set out on the path of fraternity, which is
also the path of solidarity, unleashing
creativity and new initiatives.
The steps taken thus far need, however, to be
consolidated, lest centrifugal forces regain
their strength. Today, the words of Saint John
Paul II in the European Act of Santiago de
Compostela remain as timely as ever: Europe,
“find yourself, be yourself”.[5] An age of rapid
change can bring with it a loss of identity,
especially when there is a lack of shared values
on which to base society.
To Europe, then, I would like to say: you, who
for centuries have been a seedbed of high ideals
and now seem to be losing your élan, do not be
content to regard your past as an album of
memories. In time, even the most beautiful
memories fade and are gradually forgotten.
Sooner or later, we realize that we ourselves
have changed; we find ourselves weary and
listless in the present and possessed of little
hope as we look to the future. Without ideals,
we find ourselves weak and divided, more prone
to complain and to be attracted by those who
make complaint and division a style of personal,
social and political life.
Europe, find yourself! Rediscover your most
deeply-rooted ideals. Be yourself! Do not be
afraid of your millenary history, which is a
window open to the future more than the past. Do
not be afraid of that thirst of yours for truth,
which, from the days of ancient Greece, has
spread throughout the world and brought to light
the deepest questions of every human being. Do
not be afraid of the thirst for justice that
developed from Roman law and in time became
respect for all human beings and their rights.
Do not be afraid of your thirst for eternity,
enriched by the encounter with the
Judeo-Christian tradition reflected in your
patrimony of faith, art and culture.
Today, as many in Europe look to its future with
uncertainty, others look to Europe with hope,
convinced that it still has something to offer
to the world and to humanity. The same
conviction inspired Robert Schuman, who realized
that “the contribution which an organized and
living Europe can bring to civilization is
indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful
relations”.[6] It is a conviction that we
ourselves can share, setting out from shared
values and rooted in the history and culture of
this land.
What kind of Europe do we envision for the
future? What is to be its distinctive
contribution? In today’s world, it is not about
recovering political hegemony or geographical
centrality, or about developing innovative
solutions to economic and social problems. The
uniqueness of Europe rests above all on its
conception of the human being and of reality, on
its capacity for initiative and on its spirit of
practical solidarity.
I dream, then, of a Europe that is a friend to
each and all. A land respectful of everyone’s
dignity, in which each person is appreciated for
his or her intrinsic worth and not viewed purely
from an economic standpoint or as a mere
consumer. A land that protects life at every
stage, from the time it arises unseen in the
womb until its natural end, since no human being
is the master of life, either his or her own
life or the lives of others. A land that
promotes work as a privileged means of personal
growth and the pursuit of the common good,
creating employment opportunities particularly
for the young. Being a friend to others entails
providing for their education and cultural
development. It entails protecting the weakest
and most vulnerable, especially the elderly, the
sick in need of costly care, and those with
disabilities. Being a friend to others entails
defending their rights, but also reminding them
of their duties. It means acknowledging that
everyone is called to offer his or her own
contribution to society, for none of us is a
world apart, and we cannot demand respect for
ourselves without showing respect for others. We
cannot receive unless we are also willing to
give.
I dream of a Europe that is a family and a
community. A place respectful of the
distinctiveness of each individual and every
people, ever mindful that they are bound
together by shared responsibilities. Being a
family entails living in unity, treasuring
differences, beginning with the fundamental
difference between man and woman. In this sense,
Europe is a genuine family of peoples, all
different yet linked by a common history and
destiny. The experience of recent years and that
of the pandemic in particular have shown that no
one is completely self-sufficient, and that a
certain individualistic understanding of life
and society leads only to discouragement and
isolation. Every man and woman aspires to be
part of a community, that is, of a greater
reality that transcends and gives meaning to his
or her individuality. A divided Europe, made up
of insular and independent realities, will soon
prove incapable of facing the challenges of the
future. On the other hand, a Europe that is a
united and fraternal community will be able to
value diversity and acknowledge the part that
each has to play in confronting the problems
that lie ahead, beginning with the pandemic and
including the ecological challenge of preserving
our natural resources and the quality of the
environment in which we live. We are faced with
the choice between a model of life that discards
people and things, and an inclusive model that
values creation and creatures.
I dream of a Europe that is inclusive and
generous. A welcoming and hospitable place in
which charity, the highest Christian virtue,
overcomes every form of indifference and
selfishness. Solidarity, as an essential element
of every authentic community, demands that we
care for one another. To be sure, we are
speaking of an “intelligent solidarity” that
does more than merely attend to basic needs as
they emerge.
Solidarity entails guiding those most vulnerable
towards personal and social growth, enabling
them one day to help others in turn. Like any
good physician, who not only administers
medication, but also accompanies the patient to
complete recovery.
Solidarity involves being a neighbour to others.
In the case of Europe, this means becoming
especially ready and willing, through
international cooperation, to offer generous
assistance to other continents. I think
particularly of Africa, where there is a need to
resolve ongoing conflicts and to pursue a
sustainable human development.
Solidarity is also nurtured by generosity and
gives rise to gratitude, which leads us to
regard others with love. When we forget to be
thankful for the benefits we have received, we
tend increasingly to close in upon ourselves and
to live in fear of everything around us and
different from us.
We can see this in the many fears felt in our
contemporary societies, among which I would
mention uneasiness and concern about migrants.
Only a Europe that is a supportive community can
meet the present challenge in a productive way,
since piecemeal solutions have proved to be
inadequate. It is clear that a proper acceptance
of migrants must not only assist those newly
arrived, who are often fleeing conflict, hunger
or natural disasters, but must also work for
their integration, enabling them “to learn,
respect and assimilate the culture and
traditions of the nations that welcome them”.[7]
I dream of a Europe marked by a healthy
secularism, where God and Caesar remain distinct
but not opposed. A land open to transcendence,
where believers are free to profess their faith
in public and to put forward their own point of
view in society. The era of confessional
conflicts is over, but so too – let us hope – is
the age of a certain laicism closed to others
and especially to God[8], for it is evident that
a culture or political system that lacks
openness to transcendence proves insufficiently
respectful of the human person.
Christians today have a great responsibility:
they are called to serve as a leaven in reviving
Europe’s conscience and help to generate
processes capable of awakening new energies in
society.[9] I urge them, therefore, to
contribute with commitment, courage and
determination to every sector in which they live
and work.
Your Eminence,
These few words arise from my pastoral concern
and my certainty that Europe still has much to
offer to the world. My words are meant solely to
be a personal contribution to the growing call
for reflection on the continent’s future. I
would be grateful if you could share these
thoughts in the conversations you are to hold in
coming days with the European authorities and
with the members of COMECE, whom I ask to
cooperate in a spirit of fraternal communion
with all the Bishops of the continent gathered
in the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of
Europe (CCEE). I ask you to bring my personal
greeting and a sign of my closeness to each of
them and to the peoples they represent. Your
meetings will certainly be a fitting occasion
for consolidating relations between the Holy See
and the European Union and the Council of
Europe, and to confirm the Church in her
evangelizing mission and her service to the
common good.
May our beloved Europe continue to enjoy the
protection of her holy patrons: Saint Benedict,
Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Bridget, Saint
Catherine and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the
Cross (Edith Stein), men and women who for love
of the Lord tirelessly served the poor and
worked for the human, social and cultural
development of all the peoples of the continent.
I commend myself to your prayers and to the
prayers of those whom you will encounter in the
course of your travels. To all of them I ask you
to bring my Blessing.
From the Vatican, 22 October 2020, Memorial of
Saint John Paul II
Franciscus
[1] COMECE Statutes, Art. 1.
[2] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24
November 2013), 228.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3 October
2020), 11.
[5] 9 November 1982, 4.
[6] Schuman Declaration, Paris, 9 May 1950.
[7] Address to Participants in the Conference
“(Re)thinking Europe” (28 October 2017).
[8] Cf. interview for the Belgian Catholic
Weekly “Tertio” (7 December 2016).
[9] Address to Participants in the Conference
“(Re)thinking Europe”, op. cit.
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