Ecclesia in Europa: Biblical-Theological and Organizational-Structural Aspects of the Exhortation
Ecclesia in Europa: Biblical-Theological and Organizational-Structural Aspects of the Exhortation

Summary/Abstract: The present article discusses John Paul II’s exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (2002), focusing first on the biblical sources of its systematics. In fact, the framework of the exhortation is defined by several passages taken from the Revelation of St. John; however, the text is also filled with other biblical references. The origins of the Trinitarian theological inspiration in the exhortation relate to the preparations for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, since each of the three years preceding the Jubilee was dedicated to one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. On the one hand, the exhortation expresses hope for the European continent, whose unique source is the person of Jesus Christ; on the other hand, it does not obfuscate the problems the Church in Europe faces, for instance, abandoning the sacrament of reconciliation and the moral principles of premarital purity, favouring new ecclesial movements at the expense of a parish pastoral model; excessive activism accompanied by a lack of contemplation. The exhortation welcomes the process of European integration and its organizational and institutional guarantees. Thanks to the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), this dynamic also finds a reflection in the Catholic Church itself. However, the exhortation takes a critical view of abortion and euthanasia, as forms of attack on innocent human life.

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