Europe Must Safeguard Its Christian Roots, Says Cardinal Ruini
Address to Italian Bishops´ Permanent Council
ROME, MARCH 12, 2002 (Zenit.org).- A European Constitution has to recognize the past and present role of Christianity and the Churches in European culture and society, says the president of the Italian episcopate.
Only if the Old World knows how «to safeguard its own Christian roots» will it be able to make «a very important contribution» to the construction of «more stable, peaceful and collaborative world bases,» Cardinal Camillo Ruini said Monday when opening the sessions of the Permanent Council of the episcopal conference.
In his address, Cardinal Ruini, who is the Pope´s vicar for the Diocese of Rome, also referred to the role of religions in the «vanguard of history» at the service of peace in the world, reflected in the meeting of religious leaders, held in Assisi on Jan. 24.
The cardinal also addressed the situation in the Holy Land, referring to the «perverse spiral of violence,» which he called «confirmation and evidence of the mistaken and ruinous presumption of being able to impose by force of arms the solution regarded by oneself as the most secure and advantageous.»
All must contribute to the building pf peace, the cardinal stressed. If the combined effort of the international community succeeds in making the parties to the Mideast conflict return to the negotiating table, «a step forward of very high significance will have been taken, not only for that region but for the serenity of the international horizon,» he added.<br>
In this perspective, «it is important that the Italian Parliament´s ratification of the agreement for the restructuring of the European defense industry does not entail a lessening of controls on the arms trade,» Cardinal Ruini emphasized.
