Cardinal Reinhard Marx intervened on Monday in the European political debate by criticizing the continent’s growing military rearmament and calling for a more “open” Europe, integrative and supportive in the face of current challenges.
During an event held at the European School of Munich, the German archbishop stated that Europe is going through a “turning point” and warned that the continent cannot limit itself solely to strengthening its military capacity and protecting its economic prosperity against poorer countries.
“If everything consists solely of arming ourselves to the teeth, being militarily stronger than others, and defending our well-being against the poor of the world, that is too little,” declared the cardinal, according to the agency Kathpress.
Marx calls for an “open” Europe to the world
The German cardinal argued that Europe must redefine its international role and recover an identity based on integration and openness.
“We have to set out again and show what we defend and what we have to say, not only for ourselves, but for a better world,” he stated.
According to Marx, Europe has historically had the capacity to integrate, connect, and remain open to the world, a characteristic that—in his view—should not be lost in the current political and social context marked by the rise of more restrictive positions on migration and security.
Defense of Europe’s Christian roots
Despite his criticisms of the current direction of European politics, Marx also claimed the historical role of Christianity in the cultural and political construction of Europe.
The Archbishop of Munich stated that concepts such as freedom, solidarity, individual rights, or freedom of conscience arise from the Christian vision of man present in the biblical tradition.
“From the revolutionary message of the Bible, according to which every person is the image of God, everything else we know about freedom, solidarity, community, individual rights, and freedom of conscience arose,” he maintained.
The cardinal added that Europe must rediscover those roots if it does not want to lose its future.
Criticism of “blind capitalism”
Marx also criticized what he defined as “blind and primitive capitalism,” stating that an economy focused exclusively on profit is incompatible with the idea of Europe.
“An economy oriented solely toward profit is not compatible with the great idea of Europe,” he assured.
The cardinal also defended that democracy requires mutual respect and listening capacity among citizens, and warned against a purely materialistic view of society.