EU Bishops: Social policy can not be subject to profit
(Vatican Radio) Europe’s bishops are calling on EU leaders to stop subjecting social
policy to criteria of economic profitability.
In a statement released at the
end of a three day summit in Cyprus, theCouncil of the Episcopal Conferences of
Europe (CCEE) bishops responsible for social issues note an increasing social
exclusion with a significant lack of adequate social protection for people worst hit
by the crisis.
The bishops confirmed the conviction that Europe needs Christianity
and that Christians have a special responsibility for the future of Europe.
Below
the full text of their concluding statement: The concerns of the European
bishops: The European crisis is not just economic but first of all anthropological
At the root of the current crisis situation which the European continent
is experiencing lie not only the serious problems connected with the economic-financial
systems, but above all the lack of an anthropological and social vision focused on
solidarity and subsidiarity. This was the view expressed by the European bishops responsible
for social issues meeting in Cyprus from 3-5 September. Social policies cannot be
built on simple criteria of profitability, which puts a strain on the social cohesion
of the old continent. The future of Europe and social exclusion are real challenges
for the Church, committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus who brings true justice
and peace to the world.
The European bishops, responsible for pastoral
social issues in their respective Bishops’ Conferences, met for three working days
(3-5 September) in Nicosia, Cyprus, for the first meeting of the Caritas in veritate
Commission of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), chaired by His
Grace Mgr Giampaolo Crepaldi, who led the meeting. The participants were welcomed
by the Maronite Eparchy of Cyprus and its Archbishop, His Grace Mgr Youssef Soueif.
In Cyprus, the European delegates met His Excellency Dimitris Christofias,
President of the Republic of Cyprus and duty President of the Council of the European
Union for this second semester of 2012. He wished to express his concern about the
crisis in Europe and his Government’s commitment to seek to strengthen the Union’s
social policies. They were also received by His Beatitude Chrysostomos II,
Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, as a testimony of the good relations existing between
the two Churches. The participants were delighted at the visit and greeting from Cardinal
Angelo Bagnasco, CCEE Vice-president.
The bishops met to reflect together
on the Church’s role in strengthening social cohesion in Europe. To animate the discussions
of the national delegates were the interventions of the Archbishop of Dublin, Mgr
Diarmuid Martin; of the Professor from the Pontifical Lateran University, Vincenzo
Buonomo; and, finally, from two members of the Cypriot Parliament, Professor Andreas
Pitsillides and Professor Marios Mavrides.
The delegates’ reflections
began considering first of all the consequences of the passage from a certain euphoria
about the economic progress of the previous years to the current profound collapse
in financial and economic, and consequently political, systems. The Catholic Church,
enlightening this situation with the principles of its social doctrine, aims to renew
its own commitment in the social and cultural spheres with the light and strength
of faith. In fact, the thought of Pope Paul VI was recalled, when he stated that among
the causes of a lack of development was a lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of
thought capable of indicating a sense of direction. This is the area in which the
European bishops intend to contribute with their specific mission as Christians. Examining
the significance of social cohesion in the provisions and policies of the European
Union one perceives the absence of an anthropological and social vision capable of
accommodating the person and society in all their dimensions. .
In essence,
present in European policies are a whole series of indicators which represent similarly
essential elements, capable of directing or even determining life styles, social dimensions,
participation, decision-making processes: this is certainly a challenge for the Catholic
Church and the Christian communities in Europe. One of the major problems of an integrated
Europe is increasing social exclusion, with a significant lack of adequate social
protection, determined by a social action no longer uniform for the different components
of society, but personalised at times on the basis of exclusively economic criteria
to the point of subjecting social policy to criteria of economic profitability. This
aspect touches directly on the objective of social cohesion in Europe.
The
interpretation of subsidiarity given by European politics, seeing it as a simple work
supported by the member States but controlled by the European institutions, seems
insufficient. Instead, subsidiarity capable of supporting social cohesion needs a
precise regulatory framework which in addition demands to be founded on the principle
of solidarity.
The bishops confirmed the conviction that Europe needs Christianity
and that Christians have a special responsibility for the future of Europe, so that
education and instruction value the rich European culture, that art and culture might
dialogue with religious faith without fundamentalism from either side and, finally,
that cultural exchanges above all between the young people of Europe may have broad
horizons. Assessing the specific mission of the Church, the bishops, recalling
the Second Vatican Council, confirmed that the Church proclaiming Christ to humanity
also reveals to the human person his or her own nature and for this reason the proclamation
of Christ in temporal reality – in which the Social Doctrine of the Church is summarised
– is in itself a factor of development and social cohesion. A fundamental commitment
of social pastoral work and therefore of the church bodies working in the social sphere
is that of strengthening their ability for cultural dialogue. One cannot think of
being in dialogue with the world tackling only content or the problems; there is a
need to tackle the cultural presuppositions of the problems, too. In this regard a
greater collaboration between bodies and pastoral social services of the various Bishops’
Conferences of Europe is very important .
During the meeting, various reports
were presented from the different countries about the Church’s work in the social
sphere. From these reports emerged the commitment and beauty of the charity lived
out by so many Christian communities and people. These are the signs of a profound
love for all people and which ensure that the Church can proclaim hope even in a world
in crisis.
This meeting was a significant opportunity to pool information and
promote exchanges between the participants. From the various reports some common threads
emerged:
In all the reports the word which runs through them all
is “crisis”, understood not just from an economic point of view but from an ethical-cultural
one, too; At the centre of the social question is the anthropological question.
As the Encyclical Caritas in veritate recalls, the social question has now
become anthropological as testified by the social concerns linked to the areas of
life, the family, and artificial insemination; The Church’s social doctrine is
a united point of reference.
The meeting was marked by various moments
of prayer and numerous opportunities for meetings with the different local Catholic
communities. In addition, the bishops visited places of significance for the Christian
presence on the island, monasteries, religious and cultural sites. In particular they
went to some Maronite villages in the north of the island, to witness to their solidarity
with the Maronite community which, as happens with other Christian communities, too,
wants to return to the villages, a fundamental issue for the existence and future
of the community.
The Council of the Episcopal Conferences of
Europe (CCEE) includes the current 33 European Episcopal Conferences, represented
by their Presidents, and the Archbishops of Luxembourg, of the Principality of Monaco,
the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus and the Bishop of Chişinău (Moldova Rep.)
and the Eparchial Bishop of Mukachevo. The President is Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop
of Esztergom-Budapest, Primate of Hungary; the Vice-Presidents are Cardinal Angelo
Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, and Mgr Józef Michalik, Archbishop of Przemyśl, Poland.
The General Secretary is Mgr Duarte da Cunha. The Secretariat is based at St Gallen
(Switzerland).