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CHURCH AND EUROPE: MGR. GIORDANO, “MORE VOICE TO SOUTH-EASTERN COUNTRIES”

Dettagli

Creato: 07 Marzo 2012

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(Sir Europe - Strasbourg) - “Despite their problems and sufferings, every people, every nation has its assets, its values, and, if any one is left out, the majority will miss it, but above all it would result in a Europe that is not faithful to the plan of its founders, who devised and imagined it as a common house where all the peoples who live in it have equal dignity, equal rights and equal duties”. Mgr. Anton Cosa, bishop of Chisinau (Moldavia), the spiritual leader of 20 thousand Catholics scattered in the 18 parishes of the country, speaks on behalf of a minority Church, as the Catholic Churches of South-Eastern Europe often are. “A nation - mgr. Cosa explains - poised between Latin culture and Slavic culture, between the East and the West. With a troubled, painful past, which has a lot to give and say today”. Mgr. Cosa speaks during the meeting of the bishops-presidents of the Bishops Conferences of South-Eastern Europe that is taking place in Strasbourg. “Moldavians - he says - are looking for an experience that will preserve them in their identity and will support them during such a journey. Such a small nation as ours cannot live in seclusion: if we had to, that would be suicidal”. The Bishops ask Europe “to be open to religion and the Church, which means to be open to the European values that are still Christian and that hopefully will always be anchored to their Christian root”.
The meetings - mgr. Giordano tells - that the bishops have had over the last few days in Strasbourg with the delegates of the Council of Europe, before the Court for Human Rights of Strasbourg and the president of the Venice Commission, have been fruitful. One of the most sensitive issues that have been discussed is religious freedom: “It was important - mgr. Giordano points out - to make the European institutions aware that there are problems with freedom of religion that sometime turn into a marginalisation of religion out of the public sphere and sometimes even into forms of persecution. So, on one side, Europe must be made aware that there are such situations, and, on the other side, Europe must make its best efforts to deal with such situations”. In this respect, mgr. Giordano mentions the rulings of the Court that “are jurisprudence in this sense. Just one year ago, for instance, we discussed the ruling about the Italian Lautsi case, a ruling that asserted the right of any country to have its traditions, beliefs and faith respected, a ruling that has remained central to the debate”. The meeting will end with “Mass for Europe”: “An event - mgr. Giordano ends - that means that a Europe of justice, solidarity, open to values, is above all a gift that we must receive and invoke. So, it will be a place of prayer, so that God may give Europe this gift that Europeans are waiting for in their hearts”.

© www.agensir.it - march 7th 2012