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and i nclude Eastern European
nations as well.
No one knows yet just which
nations will make up the final 1O.
The possibility always exists sorne
nations could be considered one,
such as Benelux (Belgium, Holland
and Luxembourg) , or two or more
Balkan or Iberian states could be
grouped together. After all, the
modero borders of European nations
greatly differ from the many differ–
ent borders in historie times.
The 21st Century Dream?
With the 21st century only 15
years away, many do not see the
dream of a united Europe being
fulfilled ti ll the next century.
But in our rapidly exploding
technological world , events can
happen so rapidly as to make our
heads swim.
We can awaken any morning to
find a portion of the world in the
grips of terrorists. Oran oil b9ycott
could reshape international think–
ing in a matter of days.
Trade wars are heating up at an
intense pace.
A number of Latín American
nations are on ' the brink of debt col–
lapse and threaten default on multi–
billion-dollar loans. Should such
occur, the world economic scene
could immediately be in chaos.
And there is always the threat of
nuclear confrontation even among
sorne of the smaller nations.
Any one ora combination of these
and many other events could force
European nations to quickly unite.
And there is always the demo–
cratic process.
Otto von Habsburg, once heir to
the Austro-Hungarian throne, now
works tirelessly as an elected offi–
cial of the European Parliament to
bring the nations of Europe
together into one large supranation–
al entity. He, along with hundreds
of other elected officials, attempts
to hammer out the basis for greater
harmony and ultimate total union
of the European nations.
Whether in this century or the
next, the inevitability of a united
Europe is there. The dream is only
a matter of time till reality.
The Common lngredients
Over the centuries the divergent
nai.ions within Europe have made it
18
nearly impossible to bring them
together.
Language and culture, politics
and currency have all been barri–
cades to unity.
But one by one the barriers are
being broken down.
Since the formation of the Euro–
pean Economic Community in
1957, the original six nations have
now expanded to 12. Severa! Jan–
guages are taught in EC schools,
making the language barrier far
less significant.
Trade regulations and tariffs
have been regulated to the common
good of severa) member nations.
But more than any single unify–
ing factor, religion has played and
will play the most important role.
During the papal visit to the Low
Countries earlier this year, the
Pope was booed by sorne. Yet his
visits to other countries refle.ct the
respect and admiration the Catho–
lic populace worldwide have for
their leader.
Pope John Paul Il, the first
Slavic Pope, has maintained the
popular theme of a united Europe
since his election to the papacy in
1978. Perhaps more than any other
single element of European history,
the Church has desired to see
European unity under the Chris–
tian banner.
In a May speech at the head–
quarters of the European Economic
Community in Brussels, the Pope
said, "European countries cannot
submit themselves to the division of
their continent." He urged officials
to intensify their search for unity
and work toward eliminating the
East-West division.
Speaking of the two Europes
(East and West) John Paul
li
said,
"The countries that for different
reasons do not belong to your insti–
tutions should be included in the
fundamental desire for unity. "
This past summer the Pope
designated Methodius and Cyril as
patron saints of Europe. On June
26
The Wall Street Journal
observed: "The symbolic impor–
tance being attached to this choice
of two missionaries to the Slavic
peoples
highlights the Pope's
vision of a united Europe. "
This comes at the 1, 1OOth
anniversary of the death of
Methodius. The two patron saints
were responsible for bringing
Christianity to the Slavic world in
the ninth century.
The Wall Street Journal
article
further commented: "These Euro–
pean men [Methodius and Cyri l]
dreamed great dreams and then
acted to change the face of their
world and their era."
A July 2 Associated Press wire
release added, "In the fourth
encyclical of his papacy, the Polish–
born pontiff lauded two ninth cen–
tury saints who brought Christian–
ity to the Slavs and
set down his
vision of a Europe spiritually
united by a common culture and
religion."
The Catholic Church remains
the one constant force in all Euro–
pean history. It will play an ever–
increasing role in the unification
process.
Through the normal democratic
processes the dream of a united
Europe would indeed not be ful–
filled till well past tbe start of the
twenty-first century.
But what if the Middle East
explodes into a wave of terrorist
activity threatening even the
destruction of J erusalem 's boly
places-holy to not only Muslims
and J ews but to the Christian
world?
What if an international debt
collapse occurs, forcing Europe for
their common good to unite?
What if even Eastern bloc Euro–
pean nations see value in casting
their lot with a new Europe?
What if, with the high office of
the Pope backing them, Eastern
European nations seek religious
unity with Western Europe?
A combination of these events
could bring about a union of any 10
of these nations into that final stage
of the resurrected Roman empire.
And it could happen so fast, when
it does, the wor ld would be
astounded. The groundwork has
been laid- it has been in the process
since European rebuilding began the
day World War II ended.
This magazine has been forecast–
ing that ultimate union from even
before the end of the Second World
War in 1945.
Europe is on the threshold of ful–
filling the dream- the · centuries–
old dream of at last a united
Europe. o
The
PLAIN TRUTH