Pope believes Christianity will rekindle in Europe

Pope Benedict XVI granted a rare interview to the creators of a documentary in which he said that he is “convinced” that “there will also be a new springtime for Christianity” in Europe.

The bishops, experts and observers at the synod on the New Evangelization were treated to a screening of the new documentary at the Oct. 15 afternoon session.

“(T)he desire for God…is profoundly inscribed into each human soul and cannot disappear. Certainly we can forget God for a time … but God never disappears,” Pope Benedict said on screen, though he was not in the audience. “This restlessness … is an expression of the hope that man may, ever and anew … start to journey towards this God.”

The movie, entitled “Bells of Europe: A Journey into the Faith in Europe,” considers Christianity, European culture, and the future of the continent. In addition to the Pope, it features interviews with leaders of the other main Christian confessions in Europe, as well as leaders in politics and culture.

To emphasize Europe’s common Christian roots, their reflections are bound together by the sound of bells ringing out from around the continent, the casting of a bell in the ancient foundry of Agnone, and the music of Estonian composer Arvo Part.

Based on an idea by Jesuit Father Germano Marani, the film was produced by the Vatican Television Center.

In his interview, the Pope expressed several reasons for hope for the future of Christianity in Europe.

“The Gospel … is true and can therefore never wear out. In each period of history it reveals new dimensions … as it responds to the needs of the heart and mind of human beings, who can walk in this truth and so discover themselves,” the Pope said. “It is for this reason, therefore, that I am convinced there will also be a new springtime for Christianity.”

Another reason he offered is that “faith in Jesus Christ is quite simply true; and the truth never ages.”

No ideology can prevail against Christianity in the long run, he stated.

“Ideologies have their days numbered. They appear powerful and irresistible but, after a certain period, they wear out and lose their energy because they lack profound truth. They are particles of truth, but in the end they are consumed.”

Young people are another source for the Pope’s hope. [More]

SOURCE

CNA/EWTN News