Daniel del Castillo González
With Emmanuel Macron in attendance and Europe as the central theme, Pope Leo XIV presided over a meeting focused on the continent’s Christian roots.
It comes just one day after another electoral loss for Macron’s party, which is losing ground in the Senate to Marine Le Pen, with the general election only months away.
Metz was not a random choice: Schuman lived in this region and, from here, helped draft one of the founding texts of European integration.
Pope Leo begins precisely here. He says that Europe is not merely a geographical space.
POPE LEO XIV
Europe gradually became conscious of itself during the historical periods of Hellenistic civilization, the Roman Empire and, later, the spread of Christianity.
It is therefore understood as a cultural and historical reality even before being a geographic one.
Europe has flourished and progressed when it has known how to draw on the positive aspects of its past and present them again in new and creative ways through encounter with others.
He then makes a significant point: European history cannot be told without Christianity. He specifically cites Saint Benedict. Yet despite religion’s major contribution, Europe is under threat.
POPE LEO XIV
Today, sadly, war has returned, even to Europe: a new “massacre inutile,” causing countless civilian victims every day.
We must commit to patient dialogue, show courage in negotiation and be willing to sacrifice certain positions for the greater good of peace.
In 1950, Schuman wanted to prevent France and Germany from going to war again. So, he proposed that the two countries jointly control coal and steel.
The idea was to prevent another war by having former enemies share control. Seventy-six years later, with war once again on European soil, Pope Leo XIV asks whether the continent is truly making an effort to build peace, or simply preparing for the next war.
