The mandate of Christian Democracy in politics changes with the epochs, which each bring new challenges for our societies.
A new period of European legislation began last year. The escalation of global conflicts and current crises show that the course set in this period will carry great weight for a long time and for many generations.
As a Christian Democrat, as a Christian liberal in politics, I took the initiative at the beginning of the legislative period, exactly two decades after the founding of the Austrian Christian Democracy Initiative in 1999 and its formulation of a “Charter”, whose timelessness is expressed in the PDF that can be downloaded here, to start “Strasbourg Discourse Days” at European level in order to reflect on the mission of Christian Democracy now and for the future.
Mostly younger people took part in these Strasbourg Discourse Days 2019. They are also the ones who are supposed to shape Christian Democracy. Just as Thomas Köhler and Christian Mertens gave me the opportunity 20 years ago to reflect on and develop fundamental questions, younger people should now have this opportunity. The new generation is at the start!
The “Strasbourg discourse” is not shaped by day-to-day politics, technocratic details, and certainly not arrogant polemics, as we often experience in politics. On the contrary: We are looking for orientation for times that are extremely challenging for our societies – and therefore also for politics! In this sense, our group leader in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, gave a lot of guidance last year:
In his lecture at the Strasbourg Discourse Days, Manfred Weber pointed out that we are just opening the doors to a third epoch of Christian Democracy. After that of the reconstruction and peace for Western Europe, after that of the growing together of Eastern and Western Europe, now the phase of the weight of Europe and the European ideals in the global context has arrived, Weber stated.
Impressive lectures were also given by the long-time MEP Bernd Posselt, the theologian Judith Klaiber and the founding fathers of the Christian Democracy Initiative, the historians and publicists Thomas Köhler and Christian Mertens. Köhler is also a novelist. This is how the outcome paper of the Strasbourg Discourse Days 2019 was created, which can also be downloaded here.
This year, due to the pandemic, the discourse days cannot take place in the city that gives them its name. But I am particularly pleased that Francois-Xavier Bellamy, a very special speaker, will provide impetus and answer questions. Bellamy was elected to the European Parliament in the last European election. In his civilian profession he is a professor of philosophy. He is a scholar and a Christian Democrat.
Bellamy heads the French delegation in the Christian Democratic EPP Group. In addition to the challenging everyday parliamentary work, he succeeds in reflecting on the fundamental questions of the Christian image of humanity, freedom and human dignity, the Christian democratic ideals. This orientation makes his political work substantial, comprehensible, and viable for the future.
Bellamy’s lecture will take place online on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. Those registered via email to info@lukasmandl.eu will receive the participation link in good time. I am always happy to answer any questions you may have.
Lukas Mandl