On June 28, 2003, Pope John Paul II presented to all Europeans his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation The Church in Europe, addressed to the bishops and all the faithful on Jesus Christ alive in his Church, the source of hope for Europe. Indeed this Exhortation is an authentic proclamation of joy for Europe.
The very opening words read: "The Church in Europe was closely united to her bishops as they gathered in Synod a second time and contemplated Jesus Christ, alive in his Church, the source of hope for Europe."
In his Exhortation the Pope lists the challenges and signs of hope for the Church in Europe and stresses that: "Certainly Europe is not lacking in prestigious symbols of the Christian presence, yet with the slow and steady advance of secularism, these symbols risk becoming a mere vestige of the past. Many people are no longer able to integrate the Gospel message into their daily experience; living one's faith in Jesus becomes increasingly difficult in a social and cultural setting in which that faith is constantly challenged and threatened."
His Holiness makes it quite clear that Jesus Christ is alive in his Church and expects all Europeans to make him alive in Europe. The Pope exhorts all to reflect that Europe has been widely and profoundly permeated by Christianity.
"There can be no doubt that, in Europe's complex history, Christianity has been a central and defining element, established on the firm foundation of the classical heritage and the multiple contributions of the various ethnic and cultural streams which have succeeded one another down the centuries.
"The Christian faith has shaped the culture of the Continent and is inextricably bound up in its history, to the extent that Europe's history would be incomprehensible without reference to the events which marked first the great period of evangelisation and then the long centuries when Christianity, despite the painful division between East and West, came to be the religion of the European peoples.
"Even in modern and contemporary times, when religious unity progressively disintegrated as a result of further divisions between Christians and the gradual detachment of cultures from the horizon of faith, the role played by faith has continued to be significant" (John Paul II - Spes Edificandi).
In his Exhortation, John Paul II insists on the indispensable need of training for an adult faith: "Europe's cultural and religious situation today calls for the presence of Catholics who are adult in their faith. The proclamation of the Gospel of hope thus implies a concern to foster the movement for a faith supported by social tradition, important as this is to a more personal and adult faith, one marked by knowledge and conviction.
Christians are therefore "called to have a faith capable of criticising and confronting contemporary culture and resisting its enticements; of having a real effect on the world of culture, finance, society and politics; of demonstrating that the fellowship between Catholics and other Christians is more powerful than an ethnic bond; of joyfully passing on the faith to new generations; of building a Christian culture ready to evangelise the larger culture in which we live."
No doubt, John Paul II is one of the greatest Europeans and a firm believer that Christianity has in fact shaped Europe, impressing on it certain basic values. Europe owes a lot to this outstanding Pope and to the Church.