As Europe Declines, the Church Dithers

Catholic World Report ^ | 3/8/17 | Dr. Samuel Gregg

[marshmallow]

Six decades after the Treaty of Rome, the European Union is in deep trouble. But is the Catholic Church capable of helping Europe change course?

In 1985, the then-European Economic Community which eventually became today’s European Union formally adopted what’s known as “The Flag of Europe.” Consisting of a circle of 12 golden stars on an azure background, many believe that the flag, first used by the Council of Europe in 1955, combines the traditional Marian blue with the crown of twelve stars worn by the Woman Clothed in the Sun portrayed in the Book of Revelation.

The overseer of the flag’s design, Paul Lévy (himself a Catholic convert), denied later in life that Marian themes influenced the flag. There’s no reason to disbelieve him. That said, the European flag bears an uncanny resemblance to the statute of Mary which may be found in Strasbourg Cathedral in the city where the European Parliament sits for part of the year.

Several of the primary founders of today’s EU—men such as France’s Robert Schuman, Italy’s Alcide de Gasperi, and West Germany’s Konrad Adenauer—were devout Catholics. For them, promoting an integrated Europe wasn’t only about increasing intra-European trade and diminishing war. They also had a Christian humanist vision of Europe as the continent in which Christianity had integrated Jewish wisdom, Greek philosophy and Roman law, thereby giving Western civilization its distinctive character.

The fact that the signing of the Treaty of Rome 60 years ago this month in the Palazzo dei Conservatori’s audience hall occurred in the presence of an enormous bronze statue of Pope Innocent X may have unsubtly underscored that point. In this light, it’s not surprising that EU heads of states and government will gather in Rome on March 24 to celebrate the Rome Treaty’s anniversary and be received by......

[marshmallow]

Money quote:

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can expect much leadership from Pope Francis in this area. This isn’t because he is Latin American rather than European. The more salient factor is that Francis doesn’t appear entirely at ease with his predecessors’ approach to such matters.

In a 2016 interview with La Croix, for instance, Francis stated that he didn’t like the tone often accompanying evocations of Europe’s Christian roots. While acknowledging these roots as a historical fact, Francis worried that the phrase often “takes on colonialist overtones” (though he excluded John Paul II from making such an error). Precisely how Christians speaking about Europe’s Christian roots could amount to a type of colonialization remains unclear.

[x_plus_one]

The Catholic Church is balkanizing. Northern Europe is falling back into its pagan roots, Half of Southern Europe is grafting onto Islam and creating Chrislam. Heretical history of Southern France bred Catharism and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

None of this will turn out well. The only pure church left is the Russian Orthodox. After 70 years of hell they are on a roll and expanding.

[soycd]

>creating Chrislam

That would require some really low IQ morons to follow such an invention of idiocy.

Those with brains tend to do good, not evil.

[x_plus_one]

The academics at Yale must have low IQ’s - they started the US Chrislam movement here: http://faith.yale.edu/common-word/common-word-christian-response

[soycd]

pedophile prophet and immaculate son of infinity, what’s not to like and follow?

Oil of the past still lubricates the soul.

[Organic Panic]

Catholic leadership has been placing a priority on Muslims than they have on Christians. Until that changes the church in Europe is doomed.

[pke]

Embracing social irrelevancy as the faithful yearn for true spiritual leadership in the Holy Spirit.