On the other hand, we must also recognize that the difficult experiences and divisions that have torn this old continent apart also constitute for Europeans an urgent invitation to return to the sources of their history, to rediscover the bonds of fraternity and the indelible mark of a common culture. While respecting the pluralism of modern societies, however, we must revive and restore the meaning of Europe’s Christian heritage. Heritage does not mean a dead past, as people who tend to see Christianity through certain outdated institutions think. The Christian heritage for us who live it is always active and creative in the field of culture. Through sincere and courageous dialogue, we need to be able to obtain the freedoms and guarantees necessary to enable Christians and all believers to make their indispensable contribution to the building up of all the future societies of this continent, both in the north and in the south, in the west and in the east.
You rightly frame this problem in terms of consciousness. Europe should not expend its forces only in economic, ideological, political or military fields. The main game will be about the quality of culture experienced at the level of European consciousness. This is the field in which the future of our continent and, in a certain sense, of the whole world will be decided, because Europe occupies a leading position in the cultural geography of the world. The importance of your work goes far beyond the borders of Europe, and the cultural awareness activities you undertake will also benefit the entire human community.
(Speech to the participants in the Vatican Symposium, April 21, 1986)
“Do not cease in this good work. Papal Speeches to the John Paul II Foundation”
John Paul II Foundation & Centre for Documentation and Study of the Pontificate of John Paul II, Rome 2012
