Cardinal Parolin: Pope will urge Europe to rediscover foundational values

By Massimiliano Menichetti

Following the longest journey of his pontificate that took him to Asia and Oceania, Pope Francis sets off once again on Thursday.

He will bring his untiring witness of the face of Christ to the heart of Europe, wounded by war, often divided, and experiencing demographic decline.

On September 26, the Pope will be in Luxembourg and Belgium on the same day. He will stay in Brussels until September 29.

According to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, "Europe has somewhat lost the memory of the immense calamities of the past, thereby increasing the risk of falling back into the tragic errors of those times."

Speaking to Vatican Media on the eve of the Pope’s departure, the Cardinal said the Apostolic Journey will bring the foresight of solidarity and the courage to embrace the future.

Q: Your Eminence, how did this journey, which begins with the brief stop in Luxembourg, come about?

The journey is a pastoral visit focused primarily on the celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, but it also includes a stop in Luxembourg.

These are two countries that are founding members of the European Union and host EU institutions, where Catholicism, although still formally the majority, often seems no longer considered a relevant part of life and is almost marginalized in society.

Q: The Bishops of Belgium spoken about "surprise" and "great joy" for Pope Francis's visit, which occurs during the 600th anniversary of the Catholic University of Leuven. Will this anniversary provide an opportunity to highlight the close relationship between science and faith?

The dialogue between faith and science is fundamental. Throughout history, there have been long phases of understanding and collaboration, as well as moments of mutual misunderstanding.

The misunderstanding arose from the improper overlap of methods, where on one side, the mistake was made to see the Bible not only as a sacred text but also as a science book, while on the other side, scientific knowledge was considered the only truly valid form, underestimating and restricting the very field of reason.

Certainly, the Holy Father's journey to Belgium on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the University of Leuven will be providential for rediscovering the close relationship between faith and science, in their respective fields of action and with their respective methods.

Q: The Pope returns to a Europe often divided on issues of life, migrants, and wounded by war. Will this visit help Europe recover the roots of the founding fathers—Schuman, De Gasperi, Adenauer—and their political project promoting development based on peace, fraternity, and solidarity?

Immediately after World War II, European peoples were exhausted. The previous thirty years had been so filled with calamities and sufferings that they became resolute and bold in building a new order capable of preventing the resurgence of the extreme nationalisms that had caused the conflicts.

Now, on the contrary, Europe has somewhat lost the memory of the immense calamities of the past, thereby increasing the risk of falling back into the tragic errors of those times. I hope that the Holy Father's visit becomes a precious opportunity for Europe to rediscover its foundational values.

While in 1945, European peoples were propelled towards a future that could only be imagined as better than the past, today they seem to view the future as an entirely unknown time or even worse than the recent past. This way of thinking affects the very capacity to embrace life and spreads a climate of resignation where hope does not dwell.

The Holy Father, however, is a pilgrim of hope. He wants Europe to rediscover the reasons that were the foundation of its construction, so that it can address every issue, including economic or migration ones, with a forward-looking spirit of solidarity, regaining the courage to embrace the future and overcome the "demographic winter."

Q: Will this visit to one of the hearts of European politics contribute to countering fear, polarization, and populism?

Populism, polarization, and fear are often the result of the weariness of spirit and thought, as well as the consequent demand for almost magical simplifications capable of solving complicated or even epochal problems with simple and swift effective decisions. This weariness of the peoples ends up making them available to embrace radical proposals that promise the impossible, only to discover that such promises were unachievable, resulting in turning to other narratives, which are opposing in content but very similar in the assertiveness of language.

The Church, "experienced in humanity," and therefore the Holy Father, employ the language of responsibility, moderation, and warning of the risks that can befall if dangerous paths are taken, condemning the most perilous errors. For this reason, such language does not lend itself to easy simplification and does not always present immediate solutions.

However, the Holy Father's words originate from the Gospel and are always words of wisdom. They are realistic, as the Gospel is realistic, which does not promise Paradise without the Cross.

The Pope's voice teaches us to beware and to maintain our critical sense towards those who offer the peoples, tired for various reasons, immediate simplified recipes for redemption. Generally, these result in recipes for disaster.

Q: As Europe is progressively aging, Pope Francis has repeatedly highlighted the drastic decline in birth rates. Is a pastoral approach closer to the needs of families required?

Yes. I believe that to counter the dramatic decline in birth rates, a series of actions by distinct actors are necessary and urgent. The Church, States, and intermediate organizations should all become aware of the importance, I would dare say 'vital' importance, of this issue and intervene with a series of measures that should be well-coordinated, if possible.

Regarding pastoral care, action must certainly be planned that carefully listens to families to identify their real needs and provide them with help, impacting the concreteness of their lives in order to remove various obstacles to the generous acceptance of new life.

But let me also say that the best pastoral care would be one that manages to instill hope in the hearts and minds of people. Without hope, without the deep conviction of Providence's help in our lives, without this openness to the help that comes from God, every difficulty, though real, will seem magnified, and selfish impulses will have greater free rein to impose themselves.

Q: The Old Continent seems to have lost its identity, its roots. What does it need, in your opinion, and how does the Holy See feel challenged by these issues?

It is undeniable that European civilization has its roots in Greco-Roman culture and owes its values to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Christianity, in particular, has profoundly reshaped the European landscape over the centuries. The cathedrals, universities, art, the development of its institutions, and a thousand other aspects are proof of this, having, so to speak, made Europe as we know it.

Compared to all this, the European Constitution preferred not to explicitly state these strong ties with the cultural and religious heritage of the past, believing that they would be divisive or that such recognition would make these roots burdensome and hinder new developments.

The outcome of this choice is the exacerbation of a certain confusion that does not help in building the European project. Indeed, to find the strength for a new leap that allows reaching new and important goals, overcoming ever-resurgent selfishness, Europe greatly needs to rediscover its roots. If it intends to be a voice that is heard and authoritative in today's world and if it wants to overcome exhausting impasses, it needs to rediscover the greatness of the values that inspired it, values well-known to the founders of modern Europe.

The Holy See can accompany the European peoples in this delicate phase, exhorting them to continue their path with confidence and not to fear maintaining a strong bond with the values that have inspired European life and society. In this way, Europe will find a new ideal impetus that will put it in a position to face the complicated challenges of these years.

Q: What is your wish for this journey?

I hope that this journey of the Pope to Luxembourg and Belgium will be like a spark that ignites a greater light, a spark that helps to bring out all the potential for good present in the Church and society, a light that instills courage in those who seem to resign themselves to decay.

I hope and wish that the Pope's visit provides an opportunity for a profound reflection on Europe and on the way the Church exists in Europe today. I hope it will be a moment in which believers and non-believers have the opportunity to listen to the words of the Successor of Saint Peter and to compare their way of being and acting in the world with the invitation that comes from the Gospel.