Europe's Heart and Soul: Jacques Delors' Appeal to the Churches (Globethics Co-Publications Series CEC) - Softcover

Hogebrink, Laurens

9782889310920: Europe's Heart and Soul: Jacques Delors' Appeal to the Churches (Globethics Co-Publications Series CEC)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 2889310922 ISBN 13: 9782889310920

Publisher: Globethics.net, 2015

Jacques Delors speaking as the European Commission's President in 1990, made the historic appeal to the churches to contribute to giving Europe "a heart and a soul". His appeal signaled a new phase in the dialogue between the churches and the European institutions. This publication explains what Delors had in mind. Europe should be more than a market, its future should be based on recovering solidarity in society and on a shared "sense of belonging" to a wider community. The search for a new "meaning" for Europe was a moral and spiritual challenge. Today, the "heart and a soul" appeal still stands. Europe is not only about economics, it is also about values and culture. However, today's context is that of a European Union facing a deep internal crisis. A "sense of belonging" and dialogue with each other are more necessary than ever. In a world of growing instability, the churches can play an important role in reminding the European Union of its original raison d'�tre of solidarity, peace and reconciliation.

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About the Author:

Laurens Hogebrink (1942) studied theology in Utrecht and New York. He was Secretary of the Council for Public and Social Affairs of the Netherlands Reformed Church and headed the Europe/North America Bureau after his church merged with two other Protestant churches. Among his international ecumenical functions were his membership of the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society and its successor, the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches. Today, he is researching the dialogue between the churches and the European Union that has taken place since 1990.

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