APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION "ECCLESIA IN EUROPA"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 28, 2003 (VIS) - This evening, the vigil of the feast of
Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, the Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in
Europa" was promulgated by the Holy Father during first vespers in St.
Peter's Basilica.

The full title of the document, dated today, is Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation "Ecclesia in Europe" of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to the
Bishops, Men and Women in the Consecrated Life and All the Lay Faithful on
Jesus Christ, Alive in His Church, the Source of Hope for Europe.

The 130-page document, published in Italian, English, French, Spanish,
German and Portuguese, is divided into an introduction, six chapters and a
conclusion. Following are extracts from "Ecclesia in Europa."

"INTRODUCTION.

"From the outset, a deeper appreciation of the theme of hope was the
principal goal of the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of
Bishops."

"The preceding Synod for Europe ... was held in 1991, following the
collapse of the walls, on the theme: 'That we may be witnesses of Christ Who
has set us free'. That first Special Assembly emphasized the urgent need for
a 'new evangelization'.

"The (second) synodal Assembly, which met from 1 to 23 October 1999, was a
precious opportunity for encounter, listening and dialogue."

"The Synod experience, lived with evangelical discernment, also led to a
growing awareness of the unity that, without denying the differences derived
from historical situations and events, links the various parts of Europe. It
is a unity which, rooted in a common Christian inspiration, is capable of
reconciling diverse cultural traditions."

"The Synod Fathers saw that possibly the most urgent matter Europe faces,
in both East and West, is a growing need for hope, a hope which will enable
us to give meaning to life and history and to continue on our way together."

"CHAPTER ONE. JESUS CHRIST IS OUR HOPE.

"I. Challenges and signs of hope for the Church in Europe.

"This message is also addressed today to the Churches in Europe, often
tempted by a dimming of hope. ... There are many troubling signs which at
the beginning of the third millennium are clouding the horizon of the
European continent."

"I would like to mention in a particular way the loss of Europe's
Christian memory and heritage, accompanied by a kind of practical
agnosticism and religious indifference whereby many Europeans give the
impression of living without spiritual roots and somewhat like heirs who
have squandered a patrimony entrusted to them by history. It is no real
surprise, then, that there are efforts to create a vision of Europe which
ignores its religious heritage, and in particular, its profound Christian
soul, asserting the rights of the peoples who make up Europe without
grafting those rights on to the trunk which is enlivened by the sap of
Christianity."

"In many social settings it is easier to be identified as an agnostic than
a believer. The impression is given that unbelief is self-explanatory,
whereas belief needs a sort of social legitimization which is neither
obvious nor taken for granted.

"This loss of Christian memory is accompanied by a kind of fear of the
future. ... The signs and fruits of this existential anguish include, in
particular, the diminishing number of births, the decline in the number of
vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the difficulty, if not
the outright refusal, to make lifelong commitments, including marriage.

"We find ourselves before a widespread existential fragmentation. A
feeling of loneliness is prevalent; divisions and conflicts are on the
rise."

"In connection with the spread of individualism, we see an increased
weakening of interpersonal solidarity."

"At the root of this loss of hope is an attempt to promote a vision of man
apart from God and apart from Christ. This sort of thinking has led to man
being considered as 'the absolute centre of reality, a view which makes him
occupy?falsely?the place of God and which forgets that it is not man who
creates God, but rather God who creates man. ... A vast field has opened for
the unrestrained development of nihilism in philosophy, of relativism in
values and morality, and of pragmatism?and even a cynical hedonism?in daily
life."

"This is the context for those attempts, including the most recent ones,
to present European culture with no reference to the contribution of the
Christian religion which marked its historical development and its universal
diffusion."

"Yet, as the Synod Fathers made clear, 'man cannot live without hope: life
would become meaningless and unbearable."

"If we look at Europe as a civil community, signs of hope are not lacking.
... the Synod Fathers described these signs in the following way: ... the
growing openness of peoples to one another, the reconciliation between
countries, ... the progressive opening up to the countries of Eastern
Europe, ... mutual recognition, forms of cooperation and exchanges of all
sorts are being developed, a European consciousness, is being created. ...
We sincerely hope that, in creative fidelity to the humanist and Christian
traditions of our continent, there will be a guarantee of the primacy of
ethical and spiritual values.

"I want to point out to everyone, so that it will never be forgotten, that
great sign of hope represented by the many witnesses to the Christian faith
who lived in the last century, in both East and West. They found suitable
ways to proclaim the Gospel amid situations of hostility and persecution,
often even making the supreme sacrifice by shedding their blood."

"The Gospel continues to bear fruit in parish communities, among
consecrated persons, in lay associations, in groups devoted to prayer and
the apostolate and in various youth communities, as well as through the
presence and growth of new movements and ecclesial realities."

"In today's Europe too, both in the post-Communist countries and in the
West, the parish, while in need of constant renewal, continues to maintain
and to carry out its particular mission."

"The different apostolic associations and organizations ... are a cradle
for different vocations. .. They favour the holiness of the people. ...
Frequently they promote the journey of ecumenism. ...They are an antidote to
the spread of sects and an invaluable aid to the spread of joy and life in
the Church.

"II. Returning to Christ, the source of all hope.

"From the synodal Assembly there emerged the clear and passionate
certainty that the Church has to offer Europe the most precious of all
gifts, a gift which no one else can give: faith in Jesus Christ, the source
of the hope that does not disappoint; a gift which is at the origin of the
spiritual and cultural unity of the European peoples and which both today
and tomorrow can make an essential contribution to their development and
integration."

"Many are the spiritual roots underlying the recognition of the value of
the human person and his inalienable dignity, the sacredness of human life
and the centrality of the family, the importance of education and freedom of
thought, speech and religion, the legal protection of individuals and
groups, the promotion of solidarity and the common good, and the recognition
of the dignity of labour. These roots have helped lead to the submission of
political power to the rule of law and to respect for the rights of
individuals and peoples. Here we should mention the spirit of ancient Greece
and Rome, the contributions of the Celtic, Germanic, Slav and Finno-Ugric
peoples and the influence of Jewish and Islamic culture. Yet it must be
acknowledged that these inspiring principles have historically found in the
Judeo-Christian tradition a force capable of harmonizing, consolidating and
promoting them. This is a fact which cannot be ignored; on the contrary, in
the process of building a united Europe there is a need to acknowledge that
this edifice must also be founded on values that are most fully manifested
in the Christian tradition. Such an acknowledgment is to everyone's
advantage."

"The Particular Churches in Europe are not simple agencies or private
organizations. Rather, they carry out their work with a specific
institutional dimension that merits legal recognition, in full respect for
just systems of civil legislation."

"The mission of each Particular Church in Europe is to take note of every
person's thirst for truth and the need for authentic values which can
enliven the people living on the continent, ... demonstrating by action and
by convincing arguments how the new Europe needs to rediscover its ultimate
roots."

"CHAPTER TWO. THE GOSPEL OF HOPE ENTRUSTED TO THE CHURCH OF THE NEW
MILLENNIUM.

"I. The Lord calls to conversion.

"Europe has been widely and profoundly permeated by Christianity. 'There
can be no doubt that, in Europe's complex history, Christianity has been a
central and defining element, established on the firm foundation of the
classical heritage and the multiple contributions of the various ethnic and
cultural waves which have succeeded one another down the centuries. The
Christian faith has shaped the culture of the Continent and is inextricably
bound up with its history, to the extent that Europe's history would be
incomprehensible without reference to the events which marked first the
great period of evangelization and then the long centuries when
Christianity, despite the painful division between East and West, came to be
the religion of the European peoples."

"Down the centuries the Church has been closely linked to our continent,
so that Europe's spiritual face gradually took shape thanks to the efforts
of great missionaries, the witness of saints and martyrs, and the tireless
efforts of monks and nuns, men and women religious and pastors. From the
biblical conception of man Europe drew the best of its humanistic culture,
found inspiration for its artistic and intellectual creations, created
systems of law and, not least, advanced the dignity of the person as a
subject of inalienable rights. The Church, as the bearer of the Gospel, thus
helped to spread and consolidate those values which have made European
culture universal.

"The Church in Europe is called to grow in the certainty that the Lord,
through the gift of his Spirit, is ever present and at work in her midst and
in all human history."

"In the face of recurring impulses to division and opposition, the
different Particular Churches in Europe, strengthened also by their bond
with the Successor of Peter, must be committed to being a true locus and
means of communion for the whole People of God in faith and love."

"If communion in the Church is to be experienced more fully, there is a
need to make the most of the variety of charisms and vocations which
increasingly converge on unity and can enrich it. In this regard, the new
movements and the new ecclesial communities must 'abandon every temptation
to claim rights of primogeniture and every mutual incomprehension', advance
along the path of more authentic communion between themselves and, with all
other ecclesial realities, 'live with love in full obedience to the
Bishops'.

"In order to respond to the Gospel's call to conversion, 'we must join in
making a humble and courageous examination of conscience, in order to
acknowledge our fears and our mistakes, sincerely confess our slowness to
believe, our omissions, our infidelities and our faults'."

"Finally, the Gospel of hope is also a forceful summons to conversion in
the field of ecumenism, ... essential today for greater credibility in
evangelization and the growth of European unity."

"Dialogue must continue with firm resolve, undaunted by difficulties and
hardship."

"We may not halt on this journey nor may we turn back!"

"I ask everyone to acknowledge and appreciate, in love and fraternity, the
contribution which the Eastern Catholic Churches can offer for a more
genuine building up of unity. ... At the same time I wish to assure once
more the pastors and our brothers and sisters of the Orthodox Churches that
the new evangelization is in no way to be confused with proselytism, without
prejudice to the duty of respect for truth, for freedom and for the dignity
of every person."

"II. The whole Church is sent on mission

"In a special way priests are called by virtue of their ministry to
celebrate, teach and serve the Gospel of hope."

"In this context priestly celibacy also stands out as the sign of hope put
totally in the Lord. Celibacy is not merely an ecclesiastical discipline
imposed by authority; rather it is first and foremost a grace, a priceless
gift of God for his Church."

"Celibacy is esteemed in the whole Church as fitting for the priesthood,
obligatory in the Latin Church and deeply respected by the Eastern Churches.
... A revision of the present discipline in this regard would not help to
resolve the crisis of vocations to the priesthood being felt in many parts
of Europe."

"Together with priests I also wish to mention deacons, who share, albeit
to a different degree, in the one Sacrament of Holy Orders."

"Particularly eloquent is the witness of consecrated persons. In this
regard, acknowledgment must first be made of the fundamental role played by
monasticism and consecrated life in the evangelization of Europe and in the
shaping of its Christian identity."

"In an atmosphere poisoned by secularism and dominated by consumerism,
consecrated life, as a gift of the Spirit to the Church and for the Church,
becomes an ever greater sign of hope to the extent that it testifies to
life's transcendent dimension."

"Some mention must be made of the disturbing shortage of seminarians and
aspirants to religious life, especially in Western Europe. This situation
calls for everyone to be involved in an effective pastoral programme of
promoting vocations."

"The contribution of the lay faithful to the life of the Church is
essential: they have an irreplaceable role in the proclamation and the
service of the Gospel of hope."

"Europe yesterday and today has experienced the presence of important and
illustrious examples of such lay persons."

"Equal esteem is due to the work carried out by Christian lay persons,
often in the hiddenness of daily life, ... their fearless witness of charity
and forgiveness, values which bring the Gospel to the vast frontiers of
politics, social life, the economy, culture, ecology, international life,
family life, education, professional life, the world of labour and the
caring professions."

"The Church is very much aware of the specific contribution of women in
service of the Gospel of hope.... Mention must be made of how much they have
done, often in silence and obscurity, to receive and pass on the gift of God
through physical and spiritual motherhood, education, catechesis, the
accomplishment of great charitable works, through the life of prayer and
contemplation, and through mystical experiences and writings rich in the
wisdom of the Gospel."

"The dignity of women must be promoted above all in the Church, inasmuch
as woman and man enjoy equal dignity, for both have been created in the
image and likeness of God and each has been given proper and specific
gifts."

"The Church has not failed to raise her voice in denunciation of injustice
and the violence perpetrated against women wherever and however this occurs.
She demands that laws protecting women be enforced, and that effective
measures be taken against the demeaning portrayal of women in advertising
and against the scourge of prostitution. She also expresses the hope that
the domestic work done by mothers will be considered, like that of fathers,
as a contribution to the common good, even through forms of financial
retribution."

"CHAPTER THREE. PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF HOPE

"I. Proclaiming the mystery of Christ

"Church in Europe, the 'new evangelization' is the task set before you!
Rediscover the enthusiasm of proclamation. ... Let the proclamation of
Jesus, which is the Gospel of hope, be your boast and your whole life."

"In various parts of Europe a first proclamation of the Gospel is needed:
the number of the unbaptized is growing, both because of the significant
presence of immigrants of other religions and because children born into
families of Christian tradition have not received Baptism, either as a
result of the Communist domination or the spread of religious indifference."

"On the 'old' continent too, there are vast social and cultural areas
which stand in need of a true 'missio ad gentes'."

"A renewed proclamation is needed even for those already baptized. Many
Europeans today think they know what Christianity is, yet they do not really
know it at all. ... The great certainties of the faith are being undermined
in many people by a vague religiosity lacking real commitment; various forms
of agnosticism and practical atheism are spreading: ... some people have
been affected by the spirit of an immanentist humanism, which has weakened
the faith and often, tragically, led to its complete abandonment."

"Proclaiming the Gospel of hope calls for steadfast fidelity to the Gospel
itself. The Church's preaching, in all its forms, must be increasingly
centered on the person of Jesus and increasingly converge on him. Vigilant
care must be taken that Christ is presented in his fullness."

"Europe calls out for credible evangelizers, whose lives, in communion
with the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, radiate the beauty of the Gospel.
Such evangelizers must be properly trained."

"Our contemporaries 'listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers,
and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses'."

"Christians are therefore 'called to have a faith capable of critically
confronting contemporary culture and resisting its enticements; of having a
real effect on the world of culture, finance, society and politics, ... of
joyfully passing on the faith to new generations."

"II. Bearing witness in unity and dialogue

"The individual Particular Churches cannot face alone the challenge before
them. There is need for genuine cooperation between all the Particular
Churches of the Continent as an expression of their essential communion."

"The duty of fraternal and committed ecumenical cooperation also emerges
as an irrevocable imperative."

"So too proclaiming the Gospel of hope calls for the establishment of a
profound and perceptive interreligious dialogue, particularly with Judaism
and with Islam."

"It is necessary to encourage dialogue with Judaism, knowing that it is
fundamentally important for the self-knowledge of Christians and for the
transcending of divisions between the Churches, and to work for the
flowering of a new springtime in mutual relations. ... This engagement also
implies that 'acknowledgment be given to any part which the children of the
Church have had in the growth and spread of antisemitism in history;
forgiveness must be sought for this from God, and every effort must be made
to favour encounters of reconciliation and of friendship with the sons of
Israel'."

"A proper relationship with Islam is particularly important. ... This
'needs to be conducted prudently, with clear ideas about possibilities and
limits, and with confidence in God's saving plan for all his children. It is
also necessary to take into account the notable gap between European
culture, with its profound Christian roots, and Muslim thought."

"In this regard, Christians living in daily contact with Muslims should be
properly trained in an objective knowledge of Islam and enabled to draw
comparisons with their own faith. ... It is on the other hand understandable
that the Church ... should feel the need to insist that reciprocity in
guaranteeing religious freedom also be observed in countries of different
religious traditions, where Christians are a minority."

"In this context, 'one can understand the astonishment and the feeling of
frustration of Christians who welcome, for example in Europe, believers of
other religions, giving them the possibility of exercising their worship,
and who see themselves forbidden all exercise of Christian worship' in
countries where those believers are in the majority and have made their own
religion the only one admitted and promoted. The human person has a right to
religious freedom, and all people, in every part of the world, should be
immune from coercion on the part of individuals, social groups and every
human power."

"III. Evangelizing the life of society

"The proclamation of Jesus Christ must also reach contemporary European
culture. ... Pastoral practice must undertake the task of shaping a
Christian mentality in ordinary life: in families, in schools, in social
communications, in cultural life, in the workplace and the economy, in
politics, in leisure-time, in health and in sickness."

"An important part of any program for the evangelization of culture is the
service rendered by Catholic schools."

"Nor should we overlook the positive contribution made by the wise use of
the cultural treasures of the Church."

"I encourage the Church in Europe to give greater attention to the
training of young people in the faith. As we look to the future, we cannot
but think of them: we need to make contact with the minds, the hearts and
the character of the young in order to provide them with a sound human and
Christian formation."

"To this end, there is need for a renewed youth ministry, organized by age
groups and attentive to the varying situations of children, adolescents and
young adults. It will also be necessary to provide this ministry with a more
organic structure and consistency, and to be patiently concerned with the
questions raised by young people, in order to make them protagonists of the
evangelization and the building of society."

"Given the importance of the means of social communication, the Church in
Europe must necessarily pay particular attention to the multi-faceted world
of the mass media. This would include, among other things: the adequate
training of Christians who work in the field of communications and of those
who make use of the media, for a better understanding of the new kinds of
language employed in the media.

"As I stepped through the Holy Door at the beginning of the Great Jubilee
of the Year 2000, I held high the Book of the Gospels, showing it to the
Church and to the world. This same ritual action, carried out by all the
Bishops in the different cathedrals of the world, points to the task
awaiting the Church of our Continent now and for ever.

"Church in Europe, enter the new millennium with the Book of the Gospels!
... May the Holy Bible continue to be a treasure for the Church and for
every Christian."

"Let us take up this book! Let us receive it from the Lord who continually
offers it to us through his Church. Let us devour it so that it can become
our very life. Let us savour it deeply."

"CHAPTER FOUR. CELEBRATING THE GOSPEL OF HOPE

"Church of God dwelling in Europe, you too are called to be a community
which prays, celebrating your Lord in the Sacraments, in the liturgy and in
your whole life."

"I. Rediscovering the Liturgy

"Despite the dechristianization of vast areas of the European Continent,
there are signs which suggest an image of a Church which, in believing,
proclaims, celebrates and serves her Lord."

"Together with the many examples of genuine faith, there also exists in
Europe a vague and at times deviant religiosity. ... There are evident signs
of a flight to spiritualism, of religious and esoteric syncretism, of a
frantic search for extraordinary events, even to the point of making
aberrant decisions, such as joining dangerous sects or engaging in
pseudo-religious experiences."

"I urgently invite you, the Church living in Europe: be a Church that
prays, praises God, recognising his absolute primacy, magnifying him with
joyful faith. Rediscover the sense of mystery: .... Celebrate the salvation
which comes from Christ."

"It is, therefore, urgent that the authentic sense of the liturgy be
revived in the Church."

"This involves experiencing the liturgy as a work of the Trinity."

"The liturgy must be lived as proclamation and anticipation of our future
glory."

"Although in the period following the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council
real progress has been made towards experiencing the authentic meaning of
the liturgy, much remains to be done. Continual renewal and constant
training are needed for everyone: the ordained, consecrated persons and the
laity."

"II. Celebrating the Sacraments

"A prominent place needs to be given to the celebration of the sacraments,
as actions of Christ and of the Church ordered to the worship of God, to the
sanctification of people and to the building up of the ecclesial community.
... The Synod Fathers have stressed the need for this in order to respond to
two dangers: on the one hand, certain sectors of the Church seem to have
lost sight of the genuine meaning of the sacraments and might trivialize the
mysteries being celebrated; while on the other hand, many of the baptized,
following customs and traditional practices, continue to have recourse to
the Sacraments at significant moments of their life, yet do not live in
accordance with the Church's teaching."

"Faced with the widespread loss of the sense of sin and the growth of a
mentality marked by relativism and subjectivism in morality, every ecclesial
community needs to provide for the serious formation of consciences. The
Synod Fathers have insisted on the recognition of the reality of personal
sin and the necessity of personal forgiveness by God through the ministry of
the priest. Collective absolutions are not an alternative way of
administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation."

"Together with the celebration of the Eucharist, there is also a need to
promote other forms of community prayer. ... In particular, in fidelity to
the tradition of the Latin Church, different forms of Eucharistic worship
outside of Mass should be promoted: private adoration, Eucharistic
exposition and processions, which should be seen as an expression of faith
in the continuing real presence of the Lord in the Sacrament of the Altar."

"Special consideration also needs to be given to popular piety."

"With regard to popular piety, constant vigilance is needed in order to
prevent ambiguities in certain of its manifestations, to preserve them from
secularizing influences, crass commercialization or even the risk of
superstition, and to keep them within sound and authentic forms."

"Consequently I renew my encouragement to 'recover the deepest meaning of
the day of the Lord. Sunday should be sanctified by sharing in the Eucharist
and by rest enriched with Christian joy and fellowship. ... There should be
no fear, then, of defending the Lord's day against every attack and making
every effort to ensure that in the organization of labour it is safeguarded,
so that it can be a day meant for man, to the benefit of all society."

"CHAPTER FIVE. SERVING THE GOSPEL OF HOPE

"In order to serve the Gospel of hope, the Church in Europe is also called
to follow the path of love."

"I. The service of charity

"By its very nature the witness of charity must extend beyond the confines
of ecclesial communities and reach out to every person, so that love for
everyone can become a stimulus to authentic solidarity in every part of
society."

"II. Serving men and women in society

"Preferential love for the poor is a necessary dimension of Christian
existence and service to the Gospel."

"There is a need, then, to confront the challenge of unemployment, which
in many nations of Europe represents a grave blight on society. To this can
be added the problems connected with the increase in migration."

"Due importance must also be given to the pastoral care of the sick. Since
sickness is a situation which raises fundamental questions about the meaning
of life, 'in a prosperous and efficient society, in a culture characterized
by idolatry of the body, dismissal of suffering and pain and by the myth of
perennial youth, the care of the sick is to be considered a priority'."

"The Church in Europe at every level must faithfully proclaim anew the
truth about marriage and the family. ... The value of marital
indissolubility is increasingly denied; demands are made for the legal
recognition of de facto relationships as if they were comparable to
legitimate marriages; and attempts are made to accept a definition of the
couple in which difference of sex is not considered essential.

"In this context the Church is called to proclaim with renewed vigour what
the Gospel teaches about marriage and the family, in order to grasp their
meaning and value in God's saving plan."

"With respect to young people and engaged couples, particular attention
must be given to providing education in love."

"The faithful who are divorced and civilly remarried ... are not excluded
from the community; rather, they are encouraged to share in its life, while
undertaking a journey of growth in the spirit of the Gospel's demands."

"The (ageing population) and the declining population in various European
countries cannot fail to be a cause of concern."

"Together with the decline in the birthrate, ... mention should be made of
other factors. ... Sadly, among these factors must be numbered, first of
all, the spread of abortion, also through the use of chemical-pharmaceutical
preparations which make abortion possible without the involvement of a
physician and in a way detached from any form of social responsibility. This
is favored by the fact that the legal systems of many European countries
contain legislation permitting an act which remains an 'abominable crime'
and which always constitutes a grave moral disorder. Mention must also be
made of attacks involving 'forms of intervention on human embryos'."

"We must also mention the presence of a tendency in certain parts of
Europe to consider it permissible to make a conscious decision to end one's
own life or that of another human being: the result is the spread of covert,
or even openly practiced euthanasia, the legalization of which is often
sought and, tragically, at times achieved.

"Given this state of affairs, it is necessary 'to serve the Gospel of
life' through 'a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical
effort to activate a great campaign in support of life'."

"The challenges presently facing our service of the Gospel of hope include
the growing phenomenon of immigration, which calls on the Church's ability
to welcome each person regardless of the people or nation to which he or she
belongs. This phenomenon is also prompting European society and its
institutions as a whole to seek a just order and forms of coexistence
capable of respecting everyone, as well as the demands of legality, within a
feasible process of integration."

"The phenomenon of migration challenges Europe's ability to provide for
forms of intelligent acceptance and hospitality."

"Everyone must work for the growth of a mature culture of acceptance
which, in taking into account the equal dignity of each person and need for
solidarity with the less fortunate, calls for the recognition of the
fundamental rights of each immigrant. Public authorities have the
responsibility of controlling waves of migration with a view to the
requirements of the common good. The acceptance of immigrants must always
respect the norms of law and must therefore be combined, when necessary,
with a firm suppression of abuses."

"III. Let us commit ourselves to charity!

"To you, the Church of Christ in Europe. The joys and hopes, the sorrows
and anxieties of contemporary Europeans, especially the poor and the
suffering, must also be your joys and your hopes, your sorrows and your
anxieties. May nothing which is genuinely human lack an echo in your heart."

"CHAPTER SIX. THE GOSPEL OF HOPE FOR A NEW EUROPE

"I. Europe's spiritual vocation.