Católica launches book "Catholicism, Portugal and Europe, A Creative Relationship" | "a prophetic voice in a time of superficiality"

"The texts gathered here are written by a historian who became a theologian, who sought a reading of history in a theological key, and moreover, they are marked by a pastoral concern", this is how Manuel Braga da Cruz, editor of the book "Catholicism, Portugal and Europe, A Creative Relationship", described it during the launch that took place yesterday, at the Auditório Cardeal Medeiros, headquarters of UCP.

The book, which gathers texts by D. Manuel Clemente, High Chancellor of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, selected by Manuel Braga da Cruz, with his introduction, and comments by António Araújo and Rui Ramos, is the result of yet another joint project of Universidade Católica Editora and the Amélia de Mello Foundation.

For the editor, who thanked the President of UCP for the invitation to edit the work, its publication comes "at a timely moment", and its reading "is essential to understand the relationship of religion with modern times and to reflect on the new ways and means of evangelisation".

For Isabel Capeloa Gil, President of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the book "follows a path of thought structured around Christianity as the cornerstone of the historical evolution in Europe and its relationship with the development of modern and contemporary Portugal."

Thanking all those who accepted this challenge and in particular the Amélia de Mello Foundation for its support of the editorial project, she said: "to study the event that Portugal is, has been the secular vocation of D. Manuel Clemente who reconciles it with his mission as pastor of the Church of Lisbon: it is a prophetic voice in a time of superficiality", inviting readers to read it.

Vasco de Mello, President of the Amélia de Mello Foundation, greeted those present, declaring that "it is with great honour that I take part in this initiative" which, by "giving public evidence of the systematic way of thinking of D. Manuel Clemente", pays tribute to "the journey of an outstanding personality of our times".

In presenting the work, José Manuel Durão Barroso began with an expression by the author: "if Catholicism marked Portugal, Catholicism among us was also marked by Portugal", describing the relationship between Portugal and the Catholic Church as "very special". The speaker summarised the thought of D. Manuel Clemente in a quote: "only those who have forgotten what we were before can think that what we have now is little", and stated that "it is the wisdom of the historian, the knowledge of the long time", that gives him this sense of perspective.

The second part of the event was marked by a conversation between D. Manuel Clemente and António Araújo, moderated by Maria José Avillez. Answering the moderator's question if "does the idea or the conviction that Portugal has a mission still persists today in the Portuguese Church?" the Cardinal Patriarch said that "he believes so", recalling his expression that "we have always a dock, "we have always been a dock, whether of arrival and departure", and that "this cross-border quality that makes us, also defines us", "carries us into the future. This is not the residue of a past, here is a promise of continuity". The author reiterated: the Portuguese brand "is not here at the mass for the dead, it is here at the christening".

In his intervention António Araújo reinforced the importance of the role of culture in this context, stating that the "discovery of our cultural, religious and European common fund, is essential to even think about the new evangelization."

Watch the full session here.