“European institutions need people who know how to live a healthy secularism,” Pope Leo XIV told members of a European Parliament working group on interreligious dialogue yesterday. Source: Vatican News.
Pope Leo XIV told the Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, an initiative of the European Parliament, that “being men and women of dialogue means remaining deeply rooted in the Gospel and in the values that flow from it”.
The Pope thanked the working group for the initiative and expressed his hope that it would bear much fruit.
“Promoting dialogue between cultures and religions is a key objective for a Christian politician, and thanks be to God there is no shortage of people who have given good witness in this regard.”
Participation in interreligious dialogue, he said, recognises that religion is of value both on a personal level and in the social sphere, recalling that the word “religion” itself “refers to the notion of connection as an original element of humanity”.
Therefore, he stressed, when authentic and well-cultivated, the religious dimension can greatly enhance interpersonal relationships and help people to live in community and society.
“And how important it is today,” the Holy Father underscored, “to emphasise the value and importance of human relationships!”
With this in mind, he suggested, “European institutions need people who know how to live a healthy secularism, that is, a style of thinking and acting that affirms the value of religion while preserving the distinction — not separation or confusion — from the political sphere,” as he brought to mind examples of Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide De Gasperi.
Pope Leo XIV concluded by thanking the working group members for their efforts in promoting dialogue and respect among all people.
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Pope Leo XIV urges European institutions to promote a ‘healthy secularism’ (By Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News)
