In his interview with French religious periodical La Vie, Pope Francis was asked about the current situation in Europe, and this was his response:
"The only continent that can bring about a certain unity to the world is Europe," the Pope adds. "China has perhaps a more ancient, deeper, culture. But only Europe has a vocation towards universality and service." ... "If Europe wants to rejuvenate, it is necessary for it to find anew its cultural roots. Of all Western countries, the European roots are the strongest and deepest. By the way of colonization, these roots even reached the New World. But, by forgetting its history, Europe weakens itself. It is then that it risks becoming an empty place."[La Vie:] Europe, an empty place? The expression is strong. ... Because in the history of civilizations, emptiness always calls fullness to itself. Incidentally, the Pope becomes clinical [in his diagnosis]:"We can speak today of an Arab invasion. It is a social fact." ... "How many invasions Europe has known throughout its history! It has always known how to overcome itself, moving forward to find itself as if made greater by the exchange between cultures."
