''Ecclesia in Europa'' () is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation written by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, published on 28 June 2003. The exhortation follows up on the Special Assembly for

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

of the Synod of Bishops, which met during 1–23 October 1999. It addresses the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

. The document was organized using a theme of hope. Its foundational

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

texts were taken from the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...

. ''Ecclesia in Europa'' candidly recognized that Europe was on the verge of becoming a post-Christian continent, in that the Gospel must now bring its “message of hope to a Europe that seems to have lost sight of it.”

Continental Synods in Preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000

As part of the preparation for the

Great Jubilee The Great Jubilee in 2000 was a major event in the Catholic Church, held from Christmas Eve (December 24) 1999 to Epiphany (January 6) 2001. Like other previous Jubilee years, it was a celebration of the mercy of God and forgiveness of sins. ...

of the Year 2000, Pope John Paul II convened five special synods of bishops to consider the situation of the church in each of the five continents: Africa, America,

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, Oceania, and Europe. The synods developed responses to the challenges of holiness, evangelization, and service confronting the church in each region at this milestone in history. The synods prepared the Church for the year 2000 and Third Millennium by promoting a “ New evangelization"

Appeal related to the pending Constitution for the European Union

Pope John Paul II pushed for a reference to Europe's Christian cultural roots in the draft of the European Constitution. In Ecclesia in Europa, John Paul II wrote that he "fully (respected) the secular nature of (European) institutions". However, he wanted the EU Constitution to enshrine religious rights, including acknowledging the rights of religious groups to organise freely and to enjoy the legal status enjoyed by religious institutions in individual member states. "I wish once more to appeal to those drawing up the future European Constitutional Treaty so that it will include a reference to the religion and in particular to the Christian heritage of Europe," John Paul II said.Ecclesia in Europa §114

References

External links

Ecclesia in Europa from Vatican website
{{John Paul II Apostolic exhortations 2003 documents Documents of Pope John Paul II 2003 in Christianity Catholicism in Europe

Continental Synods in Preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000

Appeal related to the pending Constitution for the European Union

See also

References

External links