GERMANY: CARD. MARX, “PATRIOTISM” IS “A SENSE OF BELONGING THAT DOES NOT EXCLUDE,” ONE THAT IS “FRATERNAL, AND COSMOPOLITAN,” TO “GUARANTEE THE GIFT OF DEMOCRACY”

Light of Truth

“The fight for freedom is never-ending. It is therefore important for us to look beyond religious and ideological borders, to see how we can preserve this precious gift of freedom today and in the future.” The president of the German Bishops, Card. Reinhard Marx, spoke at a meeting of the Catholic Academy of the Diocese of Dresden “Moving Freedom: 1919 – 1949 – 1989 – 2019.” “Freedom is the opportunity to take on responsibility,” it is the foundation of what we call love. Without freedom, there is no love” but “coercion.” The cardinal spoke of “commitment to democracy and freedom” as something “in history we should never give up.” He explained that “the message of Sacred Scripture on the dignity and equality of every person is a foundation without which our Christian western culture could not exist.” If a secular State “does not practice religion, but organizes community life,” “in a neutral but not indifferent way,” then religion “must assume the responsibility not to sow dissent, by making its visible and active contribution to society and its cohesion.” The cardinal went on to say: “We do not need nationalism, but a new patriotism, a sense of belonging that does not exclude,” one that is “fraternal” and “cosmopolitan,” so as to “guarantee the gift of democracy.”

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