Dr. Markus Demele,
Troskunai, December 5, 2014
Christianity and European Integration
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you very much for inviting me to this conference on the interface between
Christianity, democracy and market economy, celebrating the 10th anniversary of
Lithuania’s accession to the European Union. It is a time of great joy in that we
think about the growth of the European Union. Lithuania joining the European
Community is a true sign of European integration. And let me say in these times of
struggle within Europe: it is a time of hope that peace and unity will prevail on the
European continent. The growth of the European Community is a project of peace.
This peace is very fragile, as we have learnt in the recent months. Therefore each
and every one of us, from Portugal to Lithuania, from Norway to Italy, has to
perceive Europe also as a community of shared values and shares norms. I would
like to take the chance to think about the contribution of Christianity to these values
and norms and which role they might play for the European integration.
First I want to remind every one of us about the remarks of one of the representatives
of modern days Christianity, namely Pope Francis who visited the European
Parliament and the Council of Europe last month. After that I would take a deeper
look at how Christianity understood as culture has influenced the European
development in recent years and centuries. Finally, especially as a theologian, I would
like to take a look at Christianity as a religion, considering Christianity as an inclusive
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religion, as a religion which fights in its Catholic denomination for a democratic
social market economy and an active civil society.
Last month some of the members of Parliament, listening to the speech given by the
Pope, were quite shocked about the frankness with which Francis talked about the
recent state of the European Union. He was saying and I quote:
“We encounter a general impression of weariness and ageing of a Europe which is now a
´grandmother´, no longer fertile and vibrant”.
What brings the Pope to this harsh judgment? It is for once that he looks into the
European societies and he sees high unemployment rates, especially among young
people. He sees societies which are growing older and older whilst less children are
born every year. He sees societies where the riches are getting richer and the lowincome part of the society is increasing at the same time. Therefore the European
societies as well as Europe as a whole is in danger to lose its social cohesion. The
Pope tells us that he sees an egoistic lifestyle where people care more about what
they earn than how society as a whole can continue as a peaceful community.
Compared to the times after the Second World War this seems to be a dramatic
change and shift of perspective.
Why do I quote the Pope here? Because this is one of the most recent voices of
Christianity in the European debate. And the contributions of Christianity to this
debate dates back hundreds of years. We can say that the European culture is indeed
very much influenced by a culture which can be attributed as Christian. This is true
also for the time when we look at the late antiquity. European monarchies and
thinking were influenced by the Bible. Monks and their monasteries and schools
shaped the intellectual landscape of Europe. It was the intellectual horizon of people
like St. Augustin, St. Martin, St. Benedict who gave great influence to many European
thinkers. Without St. Francis, St. Erasmus, and even Martin Luther, the history of
Europe cannot be told. It is the art of Michelangelo, it is the vision of Theresa of
Avila which is still an impression of our common European culture. The music of
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Johann Sebastian Bach is considered one of the most influential styles in the world.
The thinking of Emmanuel Kant is still influencing modern philosophy and gives
direction to our human rights discourse. The great authors like Dostojewski,
theologians like Bonhoefer and Frère Roger, indicate the great variety of Christianity
in its different denomination and its contribution to the European culture. We
cannot talk about the tradition and history of Europe without mentioning these great
Christian thinkers, artists and musicians. They indicate the pluralism which is a part
of European history. They indicate the many styles which are possible within our
European Community – back hundreds of years ago and also today.
And therefore we have to say that even the norms and values of modern Europe are
shaped by Christianity, not only by Christianity but very much by people who are
members of one of the Christian Churches. Politicians who are believers and the
Churches and institutions influenced the value systems of Europe. Looking back at
the times when Europe was at war and the inquisition was bringing fear to Europe
and the Church put some forbidden books on the index, it is hard to believe that it
were actually courageous men and women within the Churches who put freedom,
equality, and brotherhood on the agenda. But it was not before the 1960s when even
the Catholic Church recognized that religious freedom is a value on its own.
Although we believe that Christianity is a great way to serve God and serve your
neighbor, it might not be the only way to do so. Therefore the freedom of religion
is something the Church has brought to the European culture, as well as values like
non-discrimination and non-violence.
We therefore see, if we understand Christianity as a culture which shapes the thinking
and the lifestyle of human beings, European integration has already happened in the
last centuries and decades, because we share a common culture which is influenced
by Christianity. This Christianity as a culture is one of the main pillars of the
European Community, and though this European Community might have lost its
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thunder and might have become a grandmother, the norms and values of our
Christian cultures are still part of the DNA of most European citizens.
Although it might be correct for a social scientist or an anthropologist to view
Christianity merely as a cultural phenomenon, for me as a theologian and as a
representative of an international Catholic organization, I would rather say that we
fall short if we do not recognize Christianity as a religion, because this is what
Christians think themselves of their community. And as a religion there are three
main contributions Christianity can give for the European Integration in the future.
First of all, Christianity is an inclusive religion. If you look at the state of the Catholic
Church nowadays and how it is run only by male ordained priests and bishops, you
might think differently. But when we look at the Bible, it is quite clearly indicated
that the main idea of Jesus Christ was equality of all human beings. For instance St.
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 3, verse 26, the following:
“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized
the Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew not Greek, there is neither slave nor free man,
there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus”.
And the first Christian communities were shaped by this egalitarianism, even though
many theologians or researchers try to prove that Christianity is supposed to be an
elite religion as it was through the Middle Ages in the understanding of some bishops.
St. Paul explains what is quite clear in the teachings of Jesus while he was on earth:
In a Christian perspective there is great equality between all walks of life. It does not
matter whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are rich or poor, whether
you are beautiful or ugly in the view of people – everybody has the same rights and
obligations within the community. And this is true not only for the community of
believers but even for the community of our respective societies. In the first
Christian communities they really lived this spirit of equality. Although the first
Christians gathered mostly in the houses of rich people, the so-called pater familias –
the head of the household, only slow by slow became the head of the liturgy as well. In
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the beginning it was very clear that during liturgy and even in everyday life, a Christian
slave and a Christian master would treat each other as equal. At least this was the
demand of the Gospel.
A second point which we can draw from Christianity understood as religion for
European Integration. The concept which the Catholic way of living the Christian
life brings to mind, is that we have to understand our economic structure as a
democratic social market economy. Since the 19th century, the Popes have been very
clear in their Catholic social teachings that the free market capitalism has never been
and will never be the solution for social injustice in Europe. Although many
Catholics especially in the wealthier countries try to deny that some writings of the
Popes and some encyclical letters sound rather socialistic. All of the Popes in the
last 150 years have been quite clear about the Catholic point of view when it comes
to the market economy. Let me give you some examples.
The Catholic social teachings highly values the labor of people. Compared to earning
money only through interests and capital, the Popes repeatedly call for decent
working conditions and a fair living wage. In Quadragesimo Anno in 1931, Pope
Pius XI wrote addressing the great injustice between the masses of the poor and the
few riches in Europe (no. 58):
“To each, therefore, must be given he own share of goods, and the distribution of created goods, which,
as every discerning person knows, is laboring today under the gravest evils due to the huge disparity
between the few exceedingly rich and the unnumbered property less, must be effectively called back to
and brought into conformity which the norms of the common good, that is, social justice”.
This is a huge demand and in 1967 Paul VI write in his encyclical letter Populorum
progression addressing the hunger in the world:
“If certain landed estates impede the, the general prosperity because they are extensive, unused or
poorly used, or because they bring hardship to peoples or are detrimental to the interest of the country,
the common good sometimes demands the expropriation”.
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For some it is hard to believe that a Catholic Pope really writes about expropriation.
This sounds rather socialistic, especially for some ears in Eastern Europe.
Nevertheless, property has to be used in a way that contributes to the common
welfare. It if it not used this way, the government should have the right to bring it
to a better use.
Keeping in mind what Pope Francis said about the youth employment issue
nowadays, you can look back at what Pope John Paul II wrote in Laborem exercens
in 1981. The Pope from Poland reminds the European Community that not capital
is supposed to dominate the politics of the world, but it is the welfare of the people
who work hard for their living. I quote (12):
“In view of this situation we must first of all recall a principle that has always been taught by the
Church: The principle of the priority of labor over capital. This principle directly concerns the process
of production: In this process labor is always a primary efficient cause, while capital the whole
collection of means of production, remains a mere instrument or instrumental cause”.
European Integration can only be successful in the long run if we agree on a society
where labor is more valued than capital, where the working population is getting its
fair share and not only the shareholders do. A democratic social market economy is
the precondition for a successful European Integration.
A third perspective coming from the understanding of Christianity as a religion:
Christians are called to social action. They are called to enrich the communities and
engage in an active civil society. I do not want to toot my own horn but the
International Kolping Society is one of these examples of Christians engaging in
social action. KOLPING INTERNATIONAL is a network of 400,000 members in
over 60 countries. Thousands of Kolping members engage in social action and shape
their communities, their villages and quarters to the better. They do this because
they hear the voice of Christ calling them to help their neighbors and develop their
own capabilities. And there are many associations like Kolping. There are people
who work hard in their parish and serve the others. The whole social model of
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subsidiarian social structure in Europe is not possible without people who do not
only look for their own advantage but look in the face of their neighbors and are
willing to serve them. Many of them do this because of their faith in Jesus Christ
and the hope they receive from him. The Christian faith and its call for social action
is one of the fundaments of our European society. European Integration meaning
that people from different nationalities, from different regional cultures coming
together and working together on the whole continent can only be possible if there
are people in each and every country who are willing to sacrifice time and energy for
this common goal of European welfare.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, I am afraid the Pope’s criticism is right. We have to
take a fresh look at Christianity as well as on Europe. We are not supposed to be
afraid about our tradition and most certainly not to speak out that we believe in Jesus
Christ and that we are happy to follow him in his Church. It is the huge number of
these happy believers that has shaped this continent. Christians together with
Muslims, non-believers and people from all other traditions can work together to
make European Integration happen. Europe is a success when people look at their
norms and values and share them with each other, if these people work together for
the common good. The contribution of Christianity is enormous. I hope that I
could point this out in my thoughts.
Thank you very much for your attention and I am looking forward to your
comments. Thank you!
Dr. Markus Demele
General Secretary
KOLPING INTERNATIONAL
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