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Catholic clergymen have come to
an important realization. There is
only
one possible course
for the
future, they believe.
Common Cau!:9
1f they are tu solve their respective
problems, Europe and the Catholic
Church
need each other's he/p.
Their
common need
for unity can
be ac hieved only by
working
together.
Once agai n, the past points the
way to the future.
Jnftuential churchmen inside the
Vat ican have come to believc that
the only way to inspire unity and
bring new life to the Church is to
p/unge it into a cause larger than
itse/f.
That cause, many believe, is
the
unification of Europe!
In turn, many of Europe's politi–
cal leaders see a role for the
Church in their efforts. They
be1ieve the Church might once
again exercise its powerfu1cohesive
effect on Europe, providing the
glue-the tie of common re1igion–
to hold Europe together poli ti–
cally.
Again, as in centuries past,
Eu ropeans are beginning to apprc–
ciate that religion and politics are
interdcpendent. In essence, they
are envisioning a reconstitution of
the wholc of classic Europe, along
the lines of the old Ho1y Roman
Empire, under Catholic aegis.
The dream of the Holy Roman
Empire yet lives!
Roots of Greatness
The time-honored theme of Euro–
pean unity on the basis of a com–
mon religious heritage has been
raised frequently by Pope John
Paul
11.
For him it is no casual,
passing concern . He has made it
very clear that he believes he has a
literal
calling from God
to unite
Europe!
During his well-publicized trip
to his nat ive Poland in June 1979,
the Pope declared: "Europe, de–
spite its present and long-lasting
division of regimes, ideologies and
economic systems,
cannot cease to
seek its fundamental unity and
must turn to Christianity....
Eco–
nomic and política! reasons cannot
do it. We must go deeper...."
1n Santiago, Spain, in 1982 he
proclaimed the following, in what
June
1984
he called a " Declaratio n to
Europe":
" I, Bishop of Rome and Shep–
herd of the Universal Church, from
Santiago, utter to you, Europe of
the ages, a cry full of love: Find
yourself again. Be yourself. Dis–
cover your origins, revive your
roots."
The Pope has repeated ly stressed
that Europe must seek religious
unity if it is to advancc beyond its
present divisions. At his final mass
during his trip to Poland last June,
J ohn Paul prayed for "al! the
Christians of East and West, that
they become united in Christ and
expand the Kingdom of Christ
throughout the world."
Last September, in the first
Papal pi1grimage to Vienna, Aus–
tria, in two centuries, the Pope
again urged Europeans on both
sides of the Iron Curtain to unite
on the basis of their common
Christian her itage. To a crowd of
100,000, he emphasized Europe's
unity in "the deep Christian roots
and the human and cul tural values
which are sacred to all Europe."
Recurrent Theme
The theme of European unity on
the basis of common religious heri–
tage is not unique to John Paul
11.
Since World War 11 , each Pope has
thrown his weight behind moves
for the creation of a supranational
European community.
Pope John
XXlll
said that Cath–
o1ics shou1d be "in the front ranks"
of the unification effort.
Pope Paul VI was especially
vocal in his support for European
unity. In November 1963, he
declared: "Everyone knows the
tragic history of our century. l f
there is a means of prevcnting this
from happening again, it is
che con–
struction of a peaceful, organic,
united Europe."
In 1965, Paul VI observed that
"a long, arduous path líes ahead.
However, the Holy See hopes to
see the day born
when a new
Europe wi/l arise,
rich with the
fullness of its traditions."
Perhaps the most forceful of
Paul VI's calls for Europcan unifi–
cation carne on October 18, 1975.
It was an address in Rome to
participants in the Third Sympo–
sium of the Bishops of Europe.
Present were more than 100 bish–
ops, cardinals and prelates repre–
senting 24 European countries. The
Pope declared:
"Can it not be said that it is
faith, thc Christian faith,
the Cath–
ol ic fait h that m a de Eu–
rope .
..
?"
Pau1 VI continued: "And it is
there that
our mission
as bishops in
Europe takes on a gripping per–
spectivc.
No other human force in
Europe can render the service
that
is confided to us, promoters of the
faith,
to reawaken Europe's Chris–
tian soul, where its unity is
rooted."
Pau1 V
1
called the Catbolic faith
"the secret of Europe's identity."
In discovering this secret , he said,
Europe could then go on to per–
form "the providential service to
which God is still calling it."
Europe and the Cross
The Popes' calls for the spiritual
unity of Europe have been echoed
by innuential spokesmen in the
politica1 arena.
Prominent among these is Dr.
Otto von Habsburg, a key figure in
the movement for European uni fi–
cation. Dr. Habsburg is the eldest
son of the last Austro-Hungarian
Emperor and a member of the
European Parliament. (See "Otto
von Habsburg- Man With a Mis–
sion," March 1984
Plain Truth.)
lnter-European unity has long
been a quest of the Habsburgs, as
we have seen. Dr. Habsburg often
speaks of the simi larities between
the Holy Roman Empire of the
Middle Ages and his view of a com–
ing "United States of Europe."
Dr.
Habsburg has long advo–
cated a strong religious role in any
future united Europe. He regards
the Roman Catholic Church as
Europe's ultimate bulwark. "The
cross doesn 't need Europe," he
once stated, "but Europe needs the
cross."
Europeans, he believes, must be
reawakened to their historica1 reli–
gious heritage. "If we take Chris–
tianity out of the European develop–
ment, there is nothing left," he
declares. "The soul is gone."
Dr. Habsburg has also called
attention to the potential role of the
crown of the Holy Roman Empire,
which today resides in the Schatz-
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