Christians cannot be absent from the new Europe, says Archbishop of Toledo

Madrid, Spain, Jun 13, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Addressing the thousands of faithful gathered for the Corpus Christi procession, Archbishop Antonio Cañizares Lovera of Toledo, Spain, called for the presence of Christianity on the European continent and emphasized that Christians cannot be absent from the rebuilding of a new Europe.

With European parliament elections just days away, the Primate of the Church in Spain said the rebuilding of Europe requires wisdom and spiritual uprightness and that therefore “we Christians cannot be absent as Christians and as the Church from this rebuilding.”

Addressing the thousands of faithful participating in the traditional procession, the Archbishop underscored that the Church and Christians can offer their service to the new Europe, “a service called the Gospel and Jesus Christ.”

Archbishop Cañizares said Christianity is not something that is imposed but rather demonstrated and offered as an invitation to freedom, made evident by one’s own personal testimony through love and mercy, seeking in all circumstances the integral well being of the person and the common good.

The Archbishop also said that the Church does not belong to the past but rather is something that must be handed on to future generations, since it is central to the lives of the individuals and the peoples that have together forged the European continent.

Lastly, he declared that Christians can bring about a transformation of the political, cultural and economic spheres, so that Europeans can feel at home and form a nation which can be a source of inspiration for other regions of the world.