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LE TRAGICHE VICENDE DEI BALCANI CI INSEGNANO CHE IL DIALOGO TRA LE CULTURE E’ INDISPENSABILE PER COSTRUIRE UN FUTURO DI PACE:  COSI’, BENEDETTO XVI NEL DISCORSO AL NUOVO AMBASCIATORE DELLA EX REPUBBLICA JUGOSLAVA DI MACEDONIA. IL PAPA RIBADISCE IL RUOLO DECISIVO DEL CRISTIANESIMO PER LA FORMAZIONE DELL’ANIMA EUROPEA

- Servizio di Alessandro Gisotti - 

La tragica storia dei Balcani dimostra quanto il dialogo interculturale sia necessario per tracciare un cammino di pace e riconciliazione. E’ il richiamo di Benedetto XVI contenuto nel discorso all’ambasciatore della ex Repubblica jugoslava di Macedonia, Bartolomej Kajtazi, ricevuto in Vaticano per la presentazione delle Lettere credenziali. L’Europa, ha detto il Papa riecheggiando il suo predecessore, ha bisogno dei Balcani e viceversa. Il servizio di Alessandro Gisotti: 

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L’impegno della Macedonia per la pace e la riconciliazione “può divenire un esempio” per gli altri popoli dei Balcani. Inizia con parole fiduciose il discorso del Pontefice all’ambasciatore macedone. Ricorda poi l’origine dei conflitti che hanno ferito l’ex Jugoslavia. “Tragicamente – rileva – le differenze culturali sono state spesso una fonte di incomprensione tra i popoli e causa di guerre senza senso”. Benedetto XVI indica anche la cura per questi mali: “Il dialogo tra le culture è indispensabile” per costruire “una civiltà universale dell’amore”. Incoraggia perciò il popolo della Macedonia ad “affermare i fondamentali valori comuni a tutte le culture, comuni perché trovano la loro fonte nella natura della persona umana”. Come il mio predecessore ha sottolineato, in numerose occasioni, rammenta Benedetto XVI, “l’Europa ha bisogno delle nazioni balcaniche ed esse hanno bisogno dell’Europa”. D’altro canto, il Papa non manca di ricordare il ruolo dei santi Cirillo e Metodio, evangelizzatori dei popoli slavi. Segno del “contributo decisivo” del cristianesimo “all’anima europea”. 

Il Pontefice esorta i macedoni a lavorare con “i Paesi vicini in uno spirito di fruttuosa cooperazione”, dedicando ogni risorsa spirituale, morale e materiale per la pace. E si sofferma sull’obiettivo dell’integrazione europea perseguito da Skopje. Le vostre tradizioni, avverte il Papa, “appartengono allo spirito che permea” il Vecchio continente. Entrare nella Comunità europea “non dovrebbe comunque essere percepito solo come una panacea per superare le avversità economiche”. L’Unione Europea, aggiunge riprendendo l’Esortazione Ecclesia in Europa, deve fondarsi soprattutto su un accordo dei valori. In tale contesto, l’espansione è di “capitale importanza”, ma “non deve essere ridotta soltanto alle dimensioni economiche e geografiche”. Il Pontefice assicura l’impegno della Chiesa in Macedonia per promuovere i valori della pace, giustizia, solidarietà e libertà. Auspica infine che il governo di Skopje consenta l’insegnamento della religione cattolica nelle scuole primarie. 

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Nel suo indirizzo d’omaggio, l’ambasciatore Bartolomej Kajtazi ha sottolineato l’impegno della Repubblica di Macedonia ad entrare nella famiglia delle nazioni europee. Ha poi ribadito l’impegno del governo a garantire nel Paese una pacifica coesistenza interetnica e multiconfessionale. Nato a Skopje nel 1966, il nuovo ambasciatore macedone presso la Santa Sede è laureato in Ingegneria elettronica. Parla il macedone, l’albanese e l’inglese.  

Indipendente dal 1991, la Repubblica di Macedonia conta  poco più di due milioni di abitanti. Il 54 per cento della popolazione è di fede cristiana ortodossa; il 30 per cento circa è di fede musulmana sunnita. I cattolici sono circa 15 mila, distribuiti in due diocesi e 7 parrocchie.

Alessandro Gisotti, Radio Vaticana, 19 maggio 2005

Testo diffuso dalla Sala Stampa Vaticana

Your Excellency,

I am pleased to welcome you today and to accept the Letters of Credence by which you are appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Holy See. I am grateful for the warm words of greeting which you have conveyed from President Crvenkovski. I gladly reciprocate them and assure the Government and citizens of your nation of my prayers for the country’s peace and well-being.

The feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius who, along with Saints Benedict, Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, are the great Patrons of Europe, is marked by an annual visit to Rome of a delegation from your country. This richly symbolic event recalls the close interest Popes Nicholas I, Hadrian II and John VIII showed in the Apostles of the Slavs, by encouraging them to fulfil their missionary activity with fidelity and creativity. Just as Cyril and Methodius recognized the acute need to transpose correctly Biblical notions and Greek theological concepts into a very different context of thought and historical experience, so today the primary task facing Christians in Europe is that of casting the ennobling light of Revelation on all that is good, true and beautiful. In this way all peoples and nations are drawn towards that peace and freedom which God the Creator intends for everyone.

I recognise with sentiments of thanksgiving that your nation has reaffirmed its commitment to forge a path of peace and reconciliation. By doing so it can become an example to others in the Balkan region. Tragically, cultural differences have often been a source of misunderstanding between peoples and even the cause of senseless conflicts and wars. In fact dialogue between cultures is an indispensable building stone of the universal civilization of love for which every man and woman longs. I encourage you and your citizens therefore to affirm the fundamental values common to all cultures; common because they find their source in the very nature of the human person. In this way the quest for peace is consolidated allowing you to dedicate every human and spiritual resource to the material and moral progress of your people, in a spirit of fruitful co-operation with neighbouring countries.

Mr Ambassador, you have noted that the goal of social integration which your Government is courageously pursuing legitimately brings you closer to the rest of Europe. Indeed your traditions and your culture find a natural resonance there and belong to the spirit that permeates this Continent. As my beloved predecessor said on a number of occasions: Europe needs the Balkan nations, and they need Europe! Entry into the European Community should not, however, be understood merely as a panacea to overcome economic adversity. In the process of the European Union’s expansion it is "of capital importance" to remember that it "will lack substance if it is reduced to merely geographic and economic dimensions." Rather, the union must "consist above all in an agreement about values which ... find expression in its law and in its life". This rightly demands of each state a proper ordering of society that creatively reclaims the soul of Europe, acquired through the decisive contribution of Christianity, affirming the transcendent dignity of the human person and the values of reason, freedom, democracy and the constitutional state (cf. ibid., 109).

The people of your land have already achieved much in the difficult but rewarding task of ensuring social coherence and stability. Authentic development requires a coordinated national plan of progress which honours the legitimate aspirations of all sectors of society and to which political and civic leaders can be held accountable. Human history teaches us repeatedly that if such programmes are to effect a lasting positive change, they must be based on the protection of human rights including those of ethnic and religious minorities, the practice of responsible and transparent governance, and the maintenance of law and order by an impartial judiciary system and an honourable police force. Without these foundations, the hope for true progress remains elusive.

Mr Ambassador, your Government’s commitment to improving the social and economic prosperity of its citizens presents the young generation with a vision of confidence and optimism. Central to this promise is the creation of educational opportunities. Where schools function in a professional manner and are staffed by people of personal integrity, hope is offered to all and most especially the youth. Integral to such formation is religious instruction. This assists the young to discover the full meaning of human existence, especially the fundamentally important relationship of freedom to truth. Indeed, knowledge enlightened by faith, far from dividing communities, binds peoples together in the common search for truth which defines every human as one who lives by belief (cf. ibid., 31). I strongly encourage the Government, therefore, to pursue its intention to permit the teaching of religion in primary schools.

The Catholic Church in your nation, though numerically small, desires to reach out in co-operation with other religious communities to all members of Macedonian society without distinction. Her charitable mission, particularly to the poor and suffering, forms part of her "commitment to practical and concrete love for every human being" and is much appreciated in your country. I am confident that the Church is willing to contribute even more extensively to the country’s human development programmes, promoting the values of peace, justice, solidarity and freedom.

Your Excellency, the diplomatic mission which you begin today will further strengthen the bonds of understanding and cooperation existing between your country and the Holy See. I assure you that the various offices of the Roman Curia are ready to assist you in the fulfilment of your duties. With my sincere good wishes, I invoke upon you, your family and all the people of your nation God’s abundant blessings.

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