Christian Culture and the Idea of Europe during the XX Century

“Europe was made by Christianity. Whether you want to make a modern Europe without Christianity it does not work”. With these words a French Dominican theologian, Yves Congar, expressed his disappointment, when he analysed the birth of European Communities during the 1950s. Since the formation of the concept of Europe and the European sentiment owes much to shared moral and cultural factors, an analysis of the religious factor and the way in which it has helped to shape the European Continent’s image appears necessary. All things considered, it is one of the elements that had united and still unites different European peoples. A study of the transformation of Christian thought (and the Catholic one in the first place) in relation to the concept of Europe – the aim that I propose with my application –, can start from the first post-war years and from the 1920s, when the Churches realized that States and Peoples’ interdependence inside the continent must be recognized, protected and, where possible, enhanced. A particular attention to the position of the Catholic Church will allow us to see how, in contrast to nationalism, the idea of a Catholic universalism was proposed as a means to resolve the over-emphasized national self-interest that had so damaged Europe, bringing it to two consecutive World Wars. This universalism was proposed and acted together with the idea that a fruitful relationship between one and the manifold could have worked, shaping the idea of a temperate and peaceful Nation; and with the concept of personalism, which brought Europe to be one of those subject in the world most strongly in favor of the defense of global human rights. Thus, the proposed study of thinkers and official documents will give us the opportunity to consider the history of the Continent and its narration from a different and enriching point of view.