The Pope’s interview for "la Croix" – Our Christian duty to Europe

Migration, , Islam, the laity, France,
missionaries, the abuse crisis, the possibility of reintegration of the
Lefebvrists into the Church, and the family: these were the main themes which
Pope Francis addressed on 9 May in an interview he gave to the French daily “la
Croix”.

In your speeches in Europe, you refer to
the “roots” of the continent without ever describing them as Christian. Rather,
you define “European identity” as “dynamic and multicultural.” In your view, is
the expression “Christian roots” inappropriate for Europe?

We need to speak of roots in the plural because there are so many. In this
sense, when I hear talk of the Christian roots of Europe, I sometimes dread the
tone, which can seem triumphalist or even vengeful. It then takes on
colonialist overtones. John Paul II, however, spoke about it in a tranquil
manner. Yes, Europe has Christian roots
and it is Christianity’s responsibility to water those roots. But this must be
done in a spirit of service as in the washing of the feet. Christianity’s duty
to Europe is one of service. As Erich Przywara, the great master of Romano
Guardini and Hans Urs von Balthasar, teaches us, Christianity’s contribution to
a culture is that of Christ in the washing of the feet. In other words, service
and the gift of life. It must not become a colonial enterprise.

On April 16, you made a powerful gesture by
bringing back the refugees from Lesbos to Rome. However, does Europe have the
capacity to accept so many migrants?

That is a fair and responsible question
because one cannot open the gates wide unreasonably. However, the deeper
question is why there are so many migrants now. When I went to Lampedusa three
years ago, this phenomenon had already started.

The initial
problems are the wars in the Middle East and in Africa as well as the
underdevelopment of the African continent, which causes hunger. If there are
wars, it is because there exist arms manufacturers – which can be justified for
defensive purposes – and above all arms traffickers. If there is so much
unemployment, it is because of a lack of investment capable of providing
employment, of which Africa has such a great need.

More generally,
this raises the question of a world economic system that has descended into the
idolatry of money. The great majority of humanity’s wealth has fallen into the
hands of a minority of the population.

A completely
free market does not work. Markets in themselves are good but they also require
a fulcrum, a third party, or a state to monitor and balance them. In other
words, [what is needed is] a social market economy.

Coming back to
the migrant issue, the worst form of welcome is to ‘ghettoize’them. On the
contrary, it’s necessary to integrate them. In Brussels, the terrorists were
Belgians, children of migrants, but they grew up in a ghetto. In London, the
new mayor (Editor: Sadiq Khan, the son of Muslim Pakistanis) took his oath of
office in a cathedral and will undoubtedly meet the queen. This illustrates the
need for Europe to rediscover its capacity to integrate.

I am thinking
here of Pope Gregory the Great (Editor: Pope from 590 – 604), who negotiated
with the people known as barbarians, who were subsequently integrated. This
integration is all the more necessary today since, as a result of a selfish
search for well-being, Europe is experiencing the grave problem of a declining
birth rate. A demographic emptiness is developing. In France, at least, this
trend is less marked because of family-oriented policies.

The fear of accepting migrants is partly
based on a fear of Islam. In your view, is the fear that this religion sparks
in Europe justified?

Today, I don’t think that there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its
war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam. It is true that the idea of
conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam. However, it is also possible to
interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to
all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.

In the face of
Islamic terrorism, it would therefore be better to question ourselves about the
way in an overly Western model of democracy has been exported to countries such
as Iraq, where a strong government previously existed. Or in Libya, where a
tribal structure exists. We cannot advance without taking these cultures into
account. As a Libyan said recently, “We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have
fifty.”

Ultimately,
co-existence between Christians and Muslims is still possible. I come from a
country where they co-habit on good terms. Muslims come to venerate the Virgin
Mary and St George. Similarly, they tell me that for the Jubilee Year Muslims
in one African country formed a long queue at the cathedral to enter through
the holy door and pray to the Virgin Mary. In Central Africa, before the war,
Christians and Muslims used to live together and must learn to do so again.
Lebanon also shows that this is possible.

The significance of Islam in France today,
like the nation’s Christian historical foundation, raises recurring questions
concerning the place of religion in the public arena. How would you
characterize a positive form of Laïcité (‘Laïcité’ refers to the French system
of separation of Church and state)?

States must be secular. Confessional states end badly. That goes against the
grain of History. I believe that a version of laicity accompanied by a solid
law guaranteeing religious freedom offers a framework for going forward. We are
all equal as sons (and daughters) of God and with our personal dignity.
However, everyone must have the freedom to externalize his or her own faith. If
a Muslim woman wishes to wear a veil, she must be able to do so. Similarly, if
a Catholic wishes to wear a cross. People must be free to profess their faith
at the heart of their own culture not merely at its margins.

The modest
critique that I would address to France in this regard is that it exaggerates
laicity. This arises from a way of considering religions as sub-cultures rather
than as fully-fledged cultures in their own right. I fear that this approach,
which is understandable as part of the heritage of the Enlightenment, continues
to exist. France needs to take a step forward on this issue in order to accept
that openness to transcendence is a right for everyone.

In a secular setting, how should Catholics
defend their concerns on societal issues such as euthanasia or same-sex
marriage?

It is up to Parliament to discuss, argue, explain, reason [these issues]. That
is how a society grows.

However, once a
law has been adopted, the state must also respect [people’s] consciences. The
right to conscientious objection must be recognized within each legal structure
because it is a human right. Including for a government official, who is a
human person. The state must also take criticism into account. That would be a
genuine form of laicity.

You cannot sweep
aside the arguments of Catholics by simply telling them that they “speak like a
priest.” No, they base themselves on the kind of Christian thinking that France
has so remarkably developed.

What does France mean to you?

It is the eldest daughter of the Church,
but not the most faithful! (Laughs) However, during the 1950s, they also spoke
of “France, the mission country.” In that sense, it remains a periphery to be
evangelized. However, to be fair to France, the Church there does have a real
creative capacity.

France is also a
land of great saints, great thinkers such as [Jean] Guitton, [Maurice] Blondel,
[Emmanuel] Levinas, who was not Catholic, and [Jacques] Maritain. I am also
thinking of the depth of its literature.

I also
appreciate how French culture is impregnated with Jesuit spirituality compared
to the more ascetic Spanish current. The French current, which began with
Pierre Favre, gave it another flavor, while continuing to emphasize discernment
of spirits.

There have also
been great French spiritual figures such as (Louis) Lallemant, or (Jean-Pierre)
de Caussade. And the great French theologians who helped the Society of Jesus
so much, namely Henri de Lubac and Michel de Certeau. I really like the last
two. Two Jesuits who are creative.

Overall, that’s
what fascinates me about France. On one hand, that exaggerated laicity, the
heritage of the French Revolution, and on the other hand, so many great saints.

Who is your favorite?
St Therese of Lisieux.

For the full text visit their website:
http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Pape/INTERVIEW-P…

by Guillaume Goubert
and Sébastien Maillard