Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale864

renewal of hope. Is it not precisely this spirit that contemporary Europe

requires?

Europe is more than a continent. It is a home! And freedom finds its

deepest meaning in a spiritual homeland. With full respect for the distinction

between the political realm and that of religion - which indeed preserves the

freedom of citizens to express religious belief and live accordingly - I wish

to underline the irreplaceable role of Christianity for the formation of the

conscience of each generation and the promotion of a basic ethical consensus

that serves every person who calls this continent, "home"! In this spirit, I

acknowledge the voice of those who today, across this country and continent,

seek to apply their faith respectfully yet decisively in the public arena, in the

expectation that social norms and policies be informed by the desire to live

by the truth that sets every man and woman free.5

Fidelity to the peoples whom you serve and represent requires fidelity to

the truth which alone is the guarantee of freedom and integral human devel-

opment.6 Courage to articulate the truth in fact serves all members of society

by shedding light on the path of human progress, indicating its ethical and

moral foundations, and ensuring that public policy draws upon the treasury

of human wisdom. Sensibility to universal truth should never be eclipsed by

particular interests, important though they may be, for such would lead only

to new examples of the social fragmentation or discrimination which those

very interest or lobby groups purport to overcome. Indeed, far from threa-

tening the tolerance of differences or cultural plurality, the pursuit of truth

makes consensus possible, keeps public debate logical, honest and accounta-

ble, and ensures the unity which vague notions of integration simply cannot

achieve. In the light of the Church's tradition of temporal, intellectual, and

spiritual charity, I am confident that members of the Catholic community -

together with members of other Churches, ecclesial communities, and reli-

gions - will continue to pursue development goals that possess a more

humane and humanizing value both in this nation and beyond.7

Dear friends, our presence in this magnificent capital, which is often

spoken of as the heart of Europe, prompts us to ask in what that "heart"

consists. While there is no simple answer to that question, surely a clue is

found in the architectural jewels that adorn this city. The arresting beauty of

5 Cfr. Caritas in Veritate, 9. 6 Cfr. ibid., 9. 7 Cfr. ibid., 9.