European Integration in the teachings of John Paul II: Selected aspects

Abstract

Nowadays, European integration is going through a crisis that has been observed for several years. The financial crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and anti-democratic tendencies in many countries (unfortunately also including the EU member states) are leading to a new rise of the ideology of nation states. Moreover, many politicians are also promoting anti-EU slogans, highlighting the concept of national sovereignty and the need to protect it. Following this type of rhetoric and political narrative, the United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020. This situation encourages reflection on how this process was perceived by John Paul II, who is still regarded by many Poles as an unquestionable authority figure, and his teachings remain an important signpost for the future for many Poles. This paper is an attempt to explore the issue of European integration in the teachings of the Polish Pope. John Paul II’s statements on European integration were always deeply balanced and dealt primarily with the spiritual and cultural aspects. However, he did not omit economic or even political issues whenever he deemed them rightful and meaningful. In fact, up until the end of his life and his pontificate, John Paul II was an avid supporter of the idea of European integration, and this attitude shines through in his texts and speeches analysed for this study. Of course, in his perceptive mind, the Pope did notice the flaws and imperfections of European integration projects and warned clearly against reducing the European cooperation only to economic aspects, disregarding the spiritual, cultural or moral dimension. Above all, however, he noticed and appreciated the achievements of European cooperation mechanisms, which ensured peace and robust economic development in the second half of the 20th century for the countries which were actively involved in it.