Robert Schuman: “Democracy will be Christian or it won´t exist.”
The future of Europe depends on our ability to agree on what respect for human dignity means, and how to work together on in today’s terms. I am concerned because life, truth and dignity are not considered and respected in a serious way.
I spent my first 42 years in the Communist Yugoslavia. The almighty Communist Party considered religion a personal matter. I was a member of the group of young Christians who were fighting for religion as a personal matter.
That understanding of religion helped us to develop a sense of personal responsibility and political engagement, later very important in our democratic transition.
When I later read Robert Schuman’s views on democracy and Christianity I was surprised by his clear ideas and non-ideological approach. He was a genius when translating the teachings of Jesus into political language.
Respect for the dignity of each person was agreed upon among the founding fathers as the foundation of the EU before the first treaty was signed. We are all different, but we have equal dignity.
This is the basis - a prerequisite - for a democracy. This has been the winning formula to the question of how to live together in diversity.
Seventy years ago the question “what comes first” was stronger than the question “who is first”. At that time peace came first. Today we are marked by wars in Ukraine and Israel and many conflicts. “Who is first” prevailes.
The concept of the enemy is back. This means that dignity and diversity are endangered. Self-proclaimed new elites wish to make the world better by eliminating those who are different, those who don’t share their views.
Have we forgotten the roots and consequences of fascism, nazism and communism, which intended to shape the human nature and reality to their interests?
Putting human dignity back at the center
Schuman has another point: The concept of using power to serve through brotherhood and the common good. The world is globally influenced by the concept of the dominating power, which prefers imposing instead of sharing.
It is time to be attentive again to the roots of the EU. The EU succeeded because the founding fathers put man at the center. When respect for dignity is a cornerstone, then the quantitative language about the bigger and the smaller, majorities and minorities is at least relativized. In such terms “unity in diversity” works.
The future of Europe depends on our ability to agree on what respect for human dignity means and how to work together on today’s terms. I’m concerned because life, truth and dignity are not considered and respected in a serious way.
I think Robert Schuman would face major problems with his ideas about democracy and Christianity today. One cannot get the substance of his message if it is read in an ideological way. Some people would not even consider it just because of the “Christian” flavor.
