Cardinal Parolin sees ‘deep malaise’ in Europe

Europe today is suffering from a “deep malaise,” the Vatican’s Secretary of State remarked in an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, Catholic Culture informs.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that the migration crisis, economic conflicts, fear of terrorism, and the rise of populist sentiment, have all contributed to the difficulties of the European community. But he also said that Europe is suffering the effects of a loss of appreciation for its common Christian heritage.

A shared culture, the cardinal said, is the “lifeblood of Europe.” But that heritage, which formed the basis for the creation of the European Union, has been neglected, he said, in a process that has “increasingly relegated Christianity to the private sphere.” A Christian culture has been largely replaced by individualism and consumerism, he said, and as a result, efforts to unite the people of Europe are “palliatives and substitutes” for a real common sense of identity.

Regarding immigration and fear of terrorism, Cardinal Parolin said that terrorism finds its best breeding ground in communities that are poor and marginalized. He urged an acceptance of immigrants, and demoaned the rising power of nationalist movements that would exclude new arrivals.

At the same time, the cardinal acknowledged that immigrants have a moral responsibility to respect the laws of the countries in which they are living, and the cultures that receive them.