The President of the European People's Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, reminded listeners on November 7th of the importance of the Christian values in European political action.
“Although [the] Christian faith is no longer the only source of inspiration, its presence is ever more essential in giving us the necessary tools to cope with challenges in Europe”, said Martens during a meeting of the Centrist Democratic International (CDI) held in Guanajuato (Mexico).
He pointed out that there is a clear link between the Christian values based on the Gospel and Christian cultural heritage and the democratic ideals of freedom, fundamental equality between men, social justice and solidarity.
“If our political movement would reject, forget, neglect or dilute its values, it would merely be an instrument of power, without soul or future, while also forfeiting its universal and original message, which is based on a global apprehension of the irreducible complexity of the human being and of life in society”, Martens added.
He also stated that “multiculturalism and inter-religious tolerance are increasingly present” in the European politics: “It is now ten years since the first Dialogue between the EPP and the Orthodox Churches and it has been an instrument of progress, having served as a tool for reconciliation of peoples in south-eastern Europe after the fall of communism and by reconciling them with the European Union”.
“The EPP has been enrooted on the principles of Christian democracy: personalism, social market economy, a federal and decentralized Europe, subsidiarity and democracy since its foundation in 1976, in the political tradition of our Founding Fathers.”
Martens’ entire speech can be found at
http://www.epp.eu/newsdetail.p...
Importance of Christian values in European politics
Archived Articles | 10 Nov 2008 | EWR
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