Church

The Gospel of Christ: Freedom and Peace for All
During his stay in his summer residence in Castelgandolfo, the Pope did not fail to mention the question of the European constitution in his Angelus prayers

To serve the Gospel of hope: this is the Church's mission also in Europe. The Church carries out this mission, accompanying the proclamation of hope with concrete charitable initiatives. Throughout the centuries, this has been the case: the duty of evangelization is sustained by effective human promotion. Putting herself at the service of charity, the Church has nourished and is nourishing the culture of solidarity, cooperating to give life once again to the universal values of human coexistence (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, no 84).
Today too, it is necessary to “give renewed hope to the poor,” so that in welcoming and serving them, it is Christ himself who welcomes and serves (cf. Mt 25:40). Many challenges in this regard confront European believers. Today, there are many categories of persons who are poor: among them, the unemployed, the sick, isolated or abandoned elderly persons, the homeless, marginalized youth, immigrants and refugees.
A service of love also means to re-propose faithfully the truth about matrimony and the family, to educate young people, engaged couples and families themselves to live and spread the “Gospel of life,” fighting against the “culture of death.”Only with everyone’s contribution will it be possible to build a “city worthy of man” in Europe and in the world, and a more just and stable international order.
(Angelus, Sunday, August 10, 2003)

I follow in prayer the laborious drafting of the Constitutional Treaty of the European Union, now being studied by the governments of the various countries. I am confident that those who are devoting their energies to it will always be motivated by the conviction that “a proper ordering of society must be rooted in authentic ethical and civil values shared as widely as possible by its citizens” (Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, no 114).
For her part, the Catholic Church is convinced that the Gospel of Christ, which has been a unifying element of the European peoples for many centuries should be and continue to be today too an inexhaustible source of spirituality and fraternity. Taking note of this is for the benefit of all, and an explicit recognition of the Christian roots of Europe in the Treaty represents the principal guarantee for the continent’s future.
Let us invoke Mary Most Holy, so that in the building of the Europe of today and tomorrow, that spiritual inspiration which is indispensable to ensure authentic action at the service of humanity, may never be lacking. Such an inspiration finds in the Gospel a sure guarantee in favor of the freedom, justice and peace of all, believers and non-believers.
(Angelus, Sunday, August 24, 2003)