Let’s talk about Europe – Let’s pray for Europe

On 9 May, on the evening of Europe Day 2024, Jeff Fountain, Director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies in Amsterdam, and former Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger spoke at an online conference on the topic: Let us speak and pray for Europe. More than 100 participants in Europe followed the keynote speeches with great interest.

The conference was enthusiastically prepared together by a group consisting of members of the YMCA in Esslingen/Germany, ENC in Bratislava/Slovakia and the Focolare Movement in Vienna/Austria.

Jeff Fountain ha discusso nella sua presentazione la storia dell’Europa e le origini della Giornata dell’Europa e ha citato, tra gli altri, l’ateo Richard Dawkins: “Non si può capire l’Europa senza capire il cristianesimo e la Bibbia”. Il 9 maggio 1950, il ministro degli Esteri francese Robert Schuman annunciò l’accordo sul carbone e l’acciaio tra Germania, Italia e Francia con un discorso di soli tre minuti. Adenauer, De Gasperi e Schuman, insieme ai Paesi del Lussemburgo e del Belgio, posero in seguito la prima pietra della Casa Europea dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale concretizzando quell’accordo, chiamato CECA. “Questa è la storia che dobbiamo raccontare ai nostri figli e ai figli dei nostri figli ancora e ancora”. Leggi il discorso di Jeff Fountain (inglese) >>

Eduard Heger outlined the problems of our time. To overcome wars, migration, climate change, polarisation and fake news, Heger called on Christians to bring the good news of the Gospel into politics. Heger affirmed: ‘Forgiveness, hope and love can change the world and bring long-desired peace’.

A discussion with the speakers then followed. From the Netherlands: ‘For me, this means that I have to start making peace in my immediate environment. Many small steps then make a big difference’. ‘Unity is strength, that is, connecting with like-minded people to achieve a common goal,’ commented a student from Maastricht.

Beatriz Lauenroth