VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Austria - “ It should be everyone’s concern to ensure that the day will never come when only the stones of Austria speak of Christianity!”

Saturday, 8 September 2007

Vienna (Agenzia Fides) - In the afternoon of 7 September the Pope went to the Vienna Hofburg for teh courtesy visit to the president of Austria Heinz Fischer and a meeting with the authorities and the Diplomatic Corps, present also members of the world of culture including the rectors of the universities of Austria. After a short concert followed by an address on the part of Mr Heinz Fischer Pope Benedict gave an articulated discourse of which we give some excerpts.
Austria
In recent years and decades, Austria has registered advances which were inconceivable even two generations ago. Your country has not only experienced significant economic progress, but has also developed a model of social coexistence synonymous with the term “social solidarity”… We are gathered in an historical setting, which for centuries was the seat of an Empire uniting vast areas of Central and Eastern Europe. This time and place thus offer us a good opportunity to take a far-ranging look at today’s Europe. After the horrors of war and traumatic experiences of totalitarianism and dictatorship, Europe is moving towards a unity capable of ensuring a lasting order of peace and just development. The painful division which split the continent for decades has come to an end politically, yet the goal of unity remains in great part still to be achieved in the minds and hearts of individuals… For the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in particular, participating in this process is a further incentive to the consolidation of freedom, the constitutional state and democracy within their borders. Here I would like to recall the contribution made by my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, to that historic process. Austria too, as a bridge-country situated at the crossroads of West and East, has contributed much to this unification and has also - we must not forget - greatly benefited from it.…
Europe
The “European home”, as we readily refer to the community of this continent, will be a good place to live for everyone only if it is built on a solid cultural and moral foundation of common values drawn from our history and our traditions. Europe cannot and must not deny her Christian roots. These represent a dynamic component of our civilisation as we move forward into the third millennium. Christianity has profoundly shaped this continent: something clearly evident in every country, and particularly in Austria, not least from the numerous churches and important monasteries. Above all, the faith is seen in the countless people whom in the course of history, and in our own day as well, it has brought to a life of hope, love and mercy… The oft-cited process of globalisation cannot be halted, yet it is an urgent task and a great responsibility of politics to regulate and limit globalisation, so that it will not occur at the expense of the poorer nations and of the poor in wealthier nations, and prove detrimental to future generations. Certainly - as we know - Europe has also experienced and suffered from terribly misguided courses of action… But Europe has also been marked by the capacity for self-criticism, which gives it a distinctive place within the vast panorama of the world’s cultures.
Life
It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself. This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right - it is the very opposite. It is “a deep wound in society”, as the late Cardinal Franz König never tired of repeating… In stating this, I am not expressing a specifically ecclesial concern. Rather, I wish to act as an advocate for a profoundly human need, speaking out on behalf of those unborn children who have no voice. In doing so, I do not close my eyes to the difficulties and the conflicts which many women are experiencing, and I realise that the credibility of what we say also depends on what the Church herself is doing to help women in trouble. In this context, then, I appeal to political leaders not to allow children to be considered as a form of illness, nor to abolish in practice your legal system’s acknowledgement that abortion is wrong. I say this out of a concern for humanity. But that is only one side of this disturbing problem. The other is the need to do everything possible to make European countries once again open to welcoming children
… Another great concern of mine is the debate on what has been termed “actively assisted death”.... The proper response to end-of-life suffering is loving care and accompaniment on the journey towards death - especially with the help of palliative care - and not “actively assisted death”".
The dialogue of reason
Finally, another part of the European heritage is a tradition of thought which considers as essential a substantial correspondence between faith, truth and reason. Here the issue is clearly whether or not reason stands at the beginning and foundation of all things. The issue is whether reality originates by chance and necessity, and thus whether reason is merely a chance by-product of the irrational and, in an ocean of irrationality, it too, in the end, is meaningless, or whether instead the underlying conviction of Christian faith remains true: In principio erat Verbum - in the beginning was the Word; at the origin of everything is the creative reason of God who decided to make himself known to us human beings.
Europe's tasks in the world
The continent which, demographically, is rapidly ageing, must not become old in spirit. Furthermore, Europe will grow more sure of itself if it accepts a responsibility in the world corresponding to its singular intellectual tradition, its extraordinary resources and its great economic power. The European Union should therefore assume a role of leadership in the fight against global poverty and in efforts to promote peace. With gratitude we can observe that the countries of Europe and the European Union are among those making the greatest contribution to international development, but they also need to make their political importance felt, for example, with regard to the urgent challenges presented in Africa, given the immense tragedies afflicting that continent, such as the scourge of AIDS, the situation in Darfur, the unjust exploitation of natural resources and the disturbing traffic in arms. Nor can the political and diplomatic efforts of Europe and its countries neglect the continuing serious situation in the Middle East, where everyone’s contribution is needed to promote the rejection of violence, reciprocal dialogue and a truly peaceful coexistence. Europe’s relationship with the nations of Latin America and Asia must also continue to grow through suitable trade agreements.
Conclusion
Austria is a country which is greatly blessed… Much of what Austria is and possesses, it owes to the Christian faith and its beneficial effects on individual men and women. The faith has profoundly shaped the character of this country and its people. Consequently it should be everyone’s concern to ensure that the day will never come when only its stones speak of Christianity! An Austria without a vibrant Christian faith would no longer be Austria.
At the end of the meeting the Pope returned to the Apostolic Nunciature and after supper he went to the balcony to bless numerous young people who had gathered to greet him. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 8/9/2007; righe 38, parole 566)


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