Vatican official pays tribute to speech that helped give birth to European Union

May 08, 2015

Noting that Pope Francis has called upon European parliamentarians to return to the founding vision of the European Union, Father Bernard Ardura, the president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, has paid tribute to the Schuman Declaration on its 65th anniversary.

In 1950, Robert Schuman, a Catholic who served as foreign minister of France, proposed a supranational European economic community that could help reconcile the belligerents in World War II. In time, Schuman’s proposal developed into the European Union.

“Five years after the armistice of 1945, reaching out to the enemy of yesterday may have seemed a senseless utopia for some, or a crazy dream for others,” writes Father Ardura. “Sixty years later, despite the weaknesses and shortcomings of the Union, reconciliation is an accomplished fact and a guarantee of peace and concord for future generations.”

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Accanto ai nemici di ieri (L’Osservatore Romano, p. 4)
• Schuman Declaration (Wikipedia)
• Pope Francis: Europe seems 'elderly and haggard' (CWN, 11/25)