The full text of the Message of the Bishops of Sicily for the European elections.
Dearest sisters and dearest brothers,
for more than seventy years we have been talking about a united Europe. Since that March 25, 1957, when the treaty that established it was signed in Rome, a lot of progress has been made. The path that has led many nations of our continent towards not only economic, but also political, social and cultural unity has always been open.
Saint John Paul II in 1997 stated: «The history of Europe is a great river, into which numerous tributaries flow, and the variety of traditions and cultures that form it is its richness» (Homily, Gniezno 3 June 1997). We cannot, however, fail to admit that, at times, this richness has had to deal with dynamic and sudden processes of social and cultural transformations. Processes that have, at times, distanced themselves from that constellation of values that are deeply linked to the Christian roots of Europe. There was no lack of discussions: dialogue did not fail, aimed at safeguarding and growing the common good, social justice and the protection of every right aimed at affirming the centrality of the person and his infinite dignity.
Once the ideologies and the “great stories” of the last century have fallen, a uniformity has emerged, a “silent convergence” – as Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini called it – between the so-called conservatives and the so-called progressives in the name of the individual’s reasons which represent a decadence compared to our cultural and civil tradition. On the one hand, the individual is considered a free subject, without constraints in the exercise of economic power; on the other hand, the same individual is wanted to be free and non-questionable in his individual ethical behaviour. The matrix of the two positions is unique: the culture of individualism where the individual does not correspond to the person who is instead open to welcoming the different and to gratuitousness (see CM Martini, Speech for the feast of Sant’Ambrogio, Milan 5 December 1997).
There are many violations of the “infinite” dignity – as a recent Church document defines it – the dignity of the human person. It is violated by abortion and assisted suicide, by the drama of poverty, by the hardship that migrants suffer, by war, by human trafficking, by violence on the most vulnerable, by the abuse of minors. We want, with our free and informed vote, to choose our representatives who have these values at heart, the only ones who can build a Europe, a common home for every person and open to dialogue with all peoples. For a conscious choice it would be appropriate to share spaces for meeting and dialogue aimed at building the common good, above all by instilling trust and hope on the path towards a renewed Europe.
We hope that the European Parliament can be that institution with the necessary potential to address and resolve the many issues generated by the numerous epochal transformations in which we are immersed. Furthermore, we are firmly convinced that our beloved Sicily is still called to be within a united Europe, a platform of peace and integration for the many peoples who from the Mediterranean seek salvation and work in Europe. Peoples to be welcomed to be protagonists of a global dialogue that eliminates any process of marginalization or even open hostility.
Therefore, we strongly urge every citizen of our island, especially young people, to exercise their right to vote in the next European elections. Not to be enchanted by the song of the dangerous sirens of pessimism, resignation and defeatism. Abstention can become a silent step that distances us from the dream of a Europe that gives breath to history by affirming authentic human rights.
New crises and new imbalances are before us. To face them we must avoid every possible form of discouragement and skepticism that clouds our identity as European citizens, as children of a Europe, bearer of its own model of democracy and freedom.
The Bishops of Sicily
