Europe will become more united if it recognises its Christian roots, Pope Benedict XVI said yesterday amid growing differences in the EU over the debt crisis and immigration.

“To build the new Europe on solid foundations, it’s not enough to appeal only to economic interests. There should be greater emphasis on real values that are based on universal moral law,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict was speaking at a meeting with Bulgarian Parliament speaker Tsetska Tsacheva on the feast day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who helped evangelise Slavic populations of Central Europe in the ninth century. “These saints remind the peoples of Europe that their unity will be more solid if it is based on common Christian roots,” he said.

“Christian faith has modelled the culture of the Old Continent,” he added.

Pope Benedict warned that while Europe’s leaders are increasingly united, the people of Europe “are being called on to create the conditions for a profound cohesion” but are in fact becoming more disillusioned.

Europe’s Christian heritage is a divisive political topic, with some governments keen to play it down and others opting to emphasise it.

Hungary’s new constitution, which refers to the country’s Christian roots, has been heavily criticised within the EU.