EUROPEAN UNITY PRIZE BESTOWED ON POPE JOHN PAUL
VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2004 (VIS) � An extraordinary
edition of the International Charlemagne Prize, a
prestigious award given annually by the city of
Aachen, Germany for distinguished service on behalf of
European unity, was bestowed on Pope John Paul II in a
ceremony yesterday afternoon in the Vatican by Jurgen
Linden, the mayor of Aachen and by Walter Evershein,
president of the executive council of the Charlemagne
Prize. The Aachen Cathedral Choir performed at both
the opening and the conclusion of the ceremony.
This award, named for the first Holy Roman Emperor,
Charlemagne, who is viewed as a symbol of European
unity, given the vast expanse of his realm which
included several modern-day European countries, has
been given every year since 1950. The committee which
announced the award on January 22 cited the Pope�s
�extraordinary contribution to the process of European
integration, but also his particular effort to exert
an influence from Europe on the shaping of the world
order.� His role in bringing down the Iron Curtain
that once divided the continent was also noted.
On January 23, Holy See Press Office Director
Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced that this award would
be conferred on the Holy Father �in recognition of his
personal commitment, and that of the Holy See, in
favor of unity among the peoples of Europe on the
basis of the values rooted in the common human nature
and efficaciously promoted by Christianity.�
Upon receiving the award, Pope John Paul addressed
the assembly in German, thanking them for the honor.
He said that, �aware that the union of Europe means
much to the Catholic Church, you have come to pay
homage to the Successor of Peter� with this prize
�which, for good reason, takes the name of the Emperor
Charlemagne. In fact, the king of the Franks, whose
kingdom had Aachen as its capital, made an essential
contribution to the political and cultural foundations
of Europe and, for this, earned the name among his
contemporaries of �Pater Europae�. The happy union of
classical culture and the Christian faith with the
traditions of various peoples took form in
Charlemagne�s empire and was developed in various
forms as the spiritual-cultural legacy of Europe
throughout the centuries.�
He remarked that �as the Holy See is located in
Europe, the Church has special relations with the
people of this continent� and �has always taken part
in the process of European integration.� Pius XII, he
said, �explicitly supported the idea of the formation
of a �European union�,� for which it would be
�necessary to refer to Christianity as a factor which
creates identity and unity.�
The Holy Father then spoke of his vision for
European unity.
�I am thinking of a Europe without egotistical
nationalism, where nations are seen as living centers
of cultural riches that must be protected and promoted
to everyone�s advantage. I am thinking of a Europe
where advances in science, the economy and social
well-being are not oriented towards consumerism� but
rather serve mankind. �I am thinking of a Europe whose
unity is based on true freedom� for �without freedom
there is no sense of responsibility to God or man.�
�I am thinking,� he continued, �of a Europe united
thanks to the commitment of young people. � But how
can a young generation be born that is open to truth,
beauty and nobility and what is worth making
sacrifices for, if in Europe the family is no longer
presented as an institution open to life and to
unselfish love?�
�The Europe I have in mind,� concluded John Paul II,
�is a political unity, a spiritual one in fact, in
which Christian politicians from all countries act in
the awareness of the human riches that faith brings
with it: men and women committed to making these
values fruitful, placing themselves at the service of
everyone for a Europe of men in whom shines the face
of God.�
- Forwarded by AlmeidaG for www.goa-world.com
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