WIELOŚĆ PODŁOŻEM JEDNOŚCI. WOKÓŁ JANA PAWŁA II WIZJI EUROPY
PLURALITY IS THE GROUND FOR UNITY: AROUND JOHN PAUL II'S VISION OF EUROPE

Summary/Abstract: The way John Paul II conceived of the idea of Europe is a significant aspect of the legacy of his pontificate. He believed that the borders of Europe were coextensive with the borders of the Christian territory, and he emphasized that the dialectic of those borders had been triggered by the diversity of the cultural elements providing the ground for European unity. The European identity necessarily involves, on the one hand, respect for the dignity of the human person, which is the foundation of the human rights, and, on the other, cultivating solidarity of all human beings. Karol Wojtyła's personalistic philosophy sheds light on the nature of the core European values he later promoted in his teaching as Pope John Paul II. In the opening part of the essay, the author juxtaposes John Paul II's teaching on the core European values with the reality of the two-decade period since the passing of the Pope and interprets it as a time of challenge for both the culture of human rights and human solidarity. The analysis, conducted from the vantage point of political philosophy within the paradigm of political anthropology, addresses issues such as the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. The successive parts of the essay outline the cultural genealogy of the European values and its primary sources: the Bible, Greek philosophy, and Roman law, as well as the Enlightenment's contribution. John Paul II supported unification processes on the European continent, emphasizing that the alternative to unity is divisions and conflicts. Since Europe had originated as a community of spirit, he believed that the unity of our continent could not be conceived merely on the political and economic planes. He was critical of the attempts at promoting historical amnesia characteristic of the secular interpretation of the genealogy of the European values which excluded Christianity's contribution.

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