With these words Cardinal Reinhard Marx, COMECE President, praised the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty.
(Credit: COMECE)
‘The Elysée Treaty laid down the foundations for French German reconciliation and friendship. Many encounters resulted from it, ranging in level from Ministers to civil society. We should not forget that reconciliation always starts with a personal encounter. This is what we have learnt from Adenauer and De Gaulle. Such encounters allow us to overcome prejudices and suddenly courageous political steps become possible. Therefore we should promote such encounters, not only at the political level, but also in schools and civil society in general, in both countries. Reconciliation cannot be taken for granted once and for all: it needs to be revived and experienced on a personal level by each generation. In this context, it is particularly worrying that knowledge of the neighbours’ language is falling away both in France and Germany.
As a committed actor in French-German reconciliation since the early 1950’s, the Catholic Church has a duty to continue strengthening the French-German Engagement within the Church itself. For example, by enabling exchanges and partnerships between dioceses and parishes. In the end, it’s the encounters that make our French-German friendship lively and inspiring for other peoples throughout Europe.’
NB: In a Joint Declaration issued last January 18th, the Presidents of the French and the German Bishops’ Conferences – Cardinal André Vingt-Trois and Archbishop Dr. Robert Zollitsch – praised the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty. The text of the Joint Declaration is available in German and French.
