To my Venerable Brother
Bernard Patrick Devlin
Bishop of Gibraltar
As the Continent of Europe is reconsecrated to Our Lady on the occasion of the enthronement of Our Lady of Europe on her newly embellished Shrine, I send cordial greetings and assure you of my spiritual closeness. With affection in the Lord, I likewise greet Cardinal Josef Tomko, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and all the Bishops, Priests, Religious and lay faithful present at the ceremony.
In a building which had already been a place of prayer since the eighth century, King Ferdinand IV of Spain, in 1309, established a Shrine dedicated to the Mother of Christ under the title of Our Lady of Europe. For almost four centuries it was a centre of pilgrimage, especially for those seeking divine protection for the hazardous journeys which carried the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the peoples of the New World. Now, after some three hundred years of obscurity, the Shrine has been restored. Here, pilgrims can again pray that the Christian values which they hold dear will be the foundation of Europe’s spiritual renewal.
Through the Church’s presence since ancient times, the message of the Gospel has contributed to the very formation of the culture and consciousness of the various European nations. Christianity is not just a part of European culture; it is the spiritual ‘form’ of European man’s approach to the basic and universal questions. It is appropriate that there should be a Shrine which will help Europe to recall its Christian heritage and inspire all who come to pray here to build the future of this Continent on that solid foundation. Only a strengthening of the spiritual and moral values rooted in ‘the truth of the Gospel’ (Gal. 2:5) can guarantee that the Europe of the Third Millennium will be a place of harmony, peace, freedom and respect for life and human dignity!
May the enthronement of Our Lady of Europe give fresh impetus to prayer for the spiritual well-being of Europe’s peoples and nations. May the Church in Gibraltar ever experience the loving closeness and protection of the great Mother of God. Upon yourself and all taking part in the celebration I invoke abundant divine graces, and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, May 10th 1997
JOANNES PAULUS II
