Bilbao, Spain, May 28, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Lech Walesa, the former president of Poland and recipient of the 1983 Noble Peace Prize, said last week the new Europe being built needs Christian values.
Speaking to reporters in Spain where he was attending an event on Catholics and public life, Walesa called on Christians to be increasingly active in building a more honest and safe world.
“A new European Union is being created. We are living on a planet that is changing and is more globalized every day. But the world will not be honest, safe or good if it is not built by people with Christian values,” he said.
In this sense, he explained, “Catholics should reflect and propose programs based on the values we respect.” Although there are “other religions and other points of view in Europe,” Walesa continued, “we must take advantage of the elements we all share in common and build a new world on this foundation.”
Walesa also warned that the more society becomes technologically advanced, the more there is a need for Christian values. Otherwise, Walesa said, “we will only run up against countries like China or India, which have philosophies about life that are so different from our own.”