As he received the prestigious Charlemagne Prize, Pope Francis
laid out his vision for a renewed European continent in what could
easily be his own version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have
a Dream” speech. In the address Francis said “I dream of a new European
humanism” – one based on fresh ideas and a revamped economy that
promotes integration and respect for human dignity. Europe has become tired and “entrenched,” he said, and voiced hope
that the continent’s leaders would be able to “draw inspiration from the
past in order to confront with courage the complex multipolar framework
of our own day.” He asked that European leaders “take up with determination the
challenge of updating the idea of Europe” – a Europe capable of giving
birth to “a new humanism” based on the core abilities to integrate,
dialogue and generate new ideas and solutions to complex modern issues. “I dream of a Europe that is young, still capable of being a mother: a
mother who has life because she respects life and offers hope for life.
I dream of a Europe that cares for children, that offers fraternal help
to the poor and those newcomers seeking acceptance because they have
lost everything,” he said. He expressed his desire for a Europe “where being a migrant is not a
crime but a summons to greater commitment on behalf of the dignity of
every human being,” and where youth can “breathe the pure air of
honesty” in a culture that is “undefiled by the insatiable needs of
consumerism.” The Pope said he also longed for a culture in which “getting married
and having children is a responsibility and a great joy, not a problem
due to the lack of stable employment. I dream of a Europe of families,
with truly effective policies concentrated on faces rather than numbers,
on birth rates more than rates of consumption.” “I dream of a Europe that promotes and protects the rights of
everyone, without neglecting its duties towards all,” he said, and
voiced his hope for a Europe “of which it will not be said that its
commitment to human rights was its last utopia.” Pope Francis received the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen
inside the Vatican’s Sala Regia as an award for his for efforts toward
the unification of Europe – an event which drew leaders from across
Europe to discuss the state of the European Union.
Kurt Hilgefort, is a Catholic father of six who publishes his thoughts on his blog Shadows of Augustine . He responded to my seven question survey with the following answers. Kurt is the first layperson to respond to the seven question survey and I think that his experience is extremely relevant to me personally and I hope that you are inspired by his thoughts as well. If you would like to respond, please send an email to fellmananthony@gmail.com with your thoughts and I will be happy to publish them as well. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge for me has been the whole dying to self thing. On an intellectual level, there are no barriers. It comes down to a matter of accepting the authority of the Church that Christ founded upon Peter. My challenge is not in the intellect, but rather in the will. The challenge for me has always been to continually seek conversion. I want to be transformed, but I want it to be over all ...
