Europe does not know where it is going
Artur Stelmasiak
Session of the Congress of the ‘Europa Christi’ movement at the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in Warsaw
The University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Senate of Polish Republic and the Gallery of the Porczyński are places in Warsaw which invited listeners and prominent lecturers of the First International Congress of the ‘Europa Christi’ movement on 22-23 October 2017. – Europe needs new acceleration. It is necessary to think about a definite venture. This definite venture is a return to Christian roots – said the honourable editor-in-chief of ‘Niedziela’ (Catholic Weekly ‘Sunday’) Fr. Inf. Ireneusz Skubiś, a moderator of the ‘Europa Christi’ movement and the initiator of the congress. The initiative of the congress – in the opinion of Fr. Skubiś – is like an ambulance which is going to a severely ill man on signal. – Today our ambulance is going to Europe which is going towards self-destruction. Europe is fatally ill, as it is losing its identity, forgets its roots from which its greatness grew. It does not perceive Christ who gave it sense and brought the beautiful law of love into it – explained Fr. Skubiś.
Ideologies of demonic lie
The diagnosis done by Fr. Skubiś was approved by a special guest of the Warsaw part of the congress – cardinal Robert Sarah, a prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Cult and Sacraments Discipline. In his opinion, Europe has been experiencing an unprecedented crisis of civilization for two centuries. Particularly in the 20th century the Promethean project of building a new man resulted in two cruel ideologies. – The Polish nation has strongly experienced both Nazism and communism. These ideologies were built on demonic lie – emphasized cardinal Sarah.
Unfortunately, Europe has not learnt a lesson from the tragedies which she experienced in the 20th century. – The contemporary crazy Prometheanism is based on the sins of greediness, pride and immorality. Europe has not renewed its humanism for 70 years – the cardinal pointed. – Today we can see how destruction of family is promoted in the name of democratic values. It is seen in separating love from passing on life – he added.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, and a lot of nations regained freedom and democracy, it seemed that a new positive time for Europe was beginning. However, the European Union made a significant decision then, not to refer to Christian roots of the European civilization. It believed that Christian roots of the European civilization may be replaced by the ‘new humanism’, separated from religion, which is to guarantee permanent peace. In this way the historic truth about the sources of the European civilization and also basis of authentic humanism got lost, for which this continent had been the cradle – cardinal Sarah emphasized. – The experience of the Church proves that the source of all kinds of evil is voluntary departing from God by the man. Europe which was built on faith in Christ, is at the time of quiet apostasy now, by getting cut off from its Christian roots.
Common welfare of the nation is more important
The hierarch from Africa also touched on a current issue of refugees, whose migration is dangerous for the Old Continent, and is also bringing various dangers for European nations. Every man has mainly the right to stay in his homeland and European countries take a lot of responsibility for destabilization in Near East. Therefore letting everybody arrive in Europe is not a good solution to problems of the world region overwhelmed by the war. – Poland is indicating a way when it refuses to get automatically subordinated to some orders from liberal globalization, such as logics of migrants’ relocation, which some people would like to impose it onto Poland today. Your country got to know communist internationalism feeling contempt towards sovereignty and culture of nations in the name of basic economy – emphasized cardinal Sarah. In his opinion, the ideology of liberal individualism promotes interfering which is to blur natural borders of homelands and cultures and lead to the post-national and one-dimensional world in which the only criteria will be consumption and production. – Although every migrant is a human being who should be respected, the situation is getting more and more difficult, if he is the representative of a different culture, a believer of a different religion – said cardinal Sarah.
Quo vadis, Domine?
Similarly the state of contemporary Europe is evaluated by the Ordinary of the Warsaw diocese, archbishop Henryk Hoser, who gave a homily during the Holy Mass in the church of Immaculate Conception of Blessed Mary the Virgin in Warsaw on Bielany. – Unity of Europe is trying to get created only on the basis of economic factors. This is very hard-working and consistent building the Babel tower. If Europe loses its memory and culture, which was and is Christian essentially, it will stop being Europe in the strict sense of the world – said archbishop Hoser.
Although the condition of Europe is not good, participants of the congress are optimists. – Europe is still Christian and will be Christian. Post-Christian Europe is mentioned by those who broke up with their identity, departed from commitments of the Holy Baptism and are looking for ways of calming down their conscience – said Fr. Prof. Waldemar Chrostowski. – In Europe we are experiencing the erosion of identity, as we have Christians and non-Christians here, and, additionally, those who are Christians only by their baptism certificates, and it is necessary to regain them – he added.
Davor Ivo Stier, the former vice-prime minister of Croatia noted that there is no solidarity without family, and there is no society without it. – The problem is that ideologies based on internationalism are contradictory with the values connected with family, whereas Christianity supports family and all values related with it – he said. – From the political point of view the common European project will be successful only when it is based on Christian values, on which we were building Europe after the Second World War, and without which we will not create a space in which we all will be free.
The initiator of the congress Fr. Ireneusz Skubiś deliberately called the movement ‘Europa Christi’, not ‘Christiana’ as this word is associated with Christian Democrats, that is, European politicians who forgot about the values long time ago.
Contemporary Christian democracy supports abortion, euthanasia, gender ideology and homsexual couples, that is, such solutions which are contradictory of Christian values. They even forgot founders of the European community, whose fervent Catholics they were and today they are candidates for sainthood. –The movement is called ‘Europa Christi’ as we want to bring in God’s Son to the Old Continent – said Fr. Skubiś. – Similarly as participants of crusades they were going to defend Christ’s Sepulcher, today we also should go to defend the cross in Europe. We should reflect on symbolism from the novel ‘Quo vadis’ and ask our Lord where he is going. He will surely tell us that he is just going to Europe.
AA
„Niedziela” 44/2017