Pope to EU: Recognize Christian Heritage

NewsMax ^ | May 10, 2003 | Fr. Mike Reilly

[Hugenot]

NewsMax.com's religion editor, Fr. Mike Reilly, updates the latest challenge for Pope John Paul II.

As Europe struggles to assemble a Constitution, Pope John Paul II has been pressing its authors to craft a document that reflects Europe's Christian identity and heritage.

"The old nations of Europe retain a Christian spirit, which constitutes a whole with the genius and history of the respective peoples," Zenit News quotes the pontiff as telling pilgrims to St. Peter's Square.

"Unfortunately, secularism threatens the fundamental values," he added, "but the Church is determined to work continually to maintain alive this spiritual and cultural tradition."

This was a major theme during his weekend visit to Spain, where the media was surprised by larger-than-expected audiences of more than 700,000 young people on Saturday and more than one million on Sunday.

He told "the Christians of Spain to remain faithful to the Gospel, to defend and promote the unity of the family, to preserve and renew continually the Catholic identity that is the nation's source of pride."

"It will be in virtue of the perennial values of its tradition that that noble country will be able to make its contribution to the construction of the new Europe," he affirmed.

The Pope's words seemed to have had an impact. On Monday, representatives of European Christians in Athens requested that the future European Constitution include "a clear reference to the Christian roots of Europe."

[LadyDoc]

Recognizing the roots is not the same as institutionalizing religion. In the US, the PC are trying to deny the obvious Christian roots of the US, not to respect Muslims but to pacify anti any religion people.

If the EU does not recognize the concept that our rights come from a "creator", then it will mean that the constitution assumes rights comes from the EU itself. But if rights are given by the state, the state can take them away...

[just mimi]

If the EU does not recognize the concept that our rights come from a "creator", then it will mean that the constitution assumes rights comes from the EU itself. But if rights are given by the state, the state can take them away.

Great point.

[Michael81Dus]

"Acklowledging their responsibilty to God and mankind, the nations of Europe gave themselves this constitution..."

We are secular, right, but it´s important to know that there´s something greater than all of us - and we should not lack respect to it/him/her.

[Coleus]

`

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Bigg Red]

We are secular, right, but it´s important to know that there´s something greater than all of us - and we should not lack respect to it/him/her.

Pretty PC with the pronouns are ye? "Him" works just fine for us here.

[BenR2]

The Pope really means "Roman Catholic heritage." He does not mean Greek Orthodox heritage, Reformed Christian heritage, Anabaptist heritage, Waldensian heritage, Lutheran heritage, or Evangelical heritage.

[Michael81Dus]

Hehe, yeah, crazy! I didn´t relized it that I differentiated that way just until you reminded me. ;-)