Vatican foreign minister says pope committed to united Europe

Published: 2005-05-17

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- German-born Pope Benedict XVI is as committed as any of his predecessors to promoting a united Europe based on shared ethical and moral values, the Vatican foreign minister said. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican secretary for relations with states, represented the Holy See at the May 16-17 summit of the Council of Europe in Warsaw, Poland; a copy of his remarks was released at the Vatican. The archbishop told the heads of government that former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, had proposed "a number of considerations, both historical and doctrinal, on the subject of European unity and values, which remain relevant and worthy of attention."

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