Rode: Slovenia, Europe Should Be Proud of Their Own Spiritual Traditions

Ljubljana, 04 June

Cardinal Franc Rode criticised cultural relativism as he delivered a sermon during a Mass he celebrated together with several church dignitaries at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ljubljana on Sunday afternoon. This was the last stop on his two-day visit to Slovenia.

Rode pointed to what he believes is a specifically Slovenian and European problem, namely that those who will shame Judaism and its traditions or insult the Quran will be condemned.
"But when the same happens to...what is sacred to Christians, they say it is all about the freedom of speech or even art. There is something pathologic in such reasoning," he stressed during the Mass, which was attended also by many political figures.
"We are opening up to others, admire and praise other cultures, but at the same time look down on ourselves and own own spiritual riches. Looking into our past, we search for what went wrong, instead of being able to see what is great and pure."
"If we want to survive, we will have to accept, critically and humbly, ourselves, our culture and our values, and remain true to them," stressed Rode, who became cardinal in late March as the third ever cardinal of Slovenian descent.
He moreover stressed three moral elements which he believes are intrinsic to European identity: "recognising and defending marriage as a union of a man and a woman, rejecting any attempt to legally annual this natural law with other forms of unions, and unconditionally respecting human dignity and rights".
His host, Archbishop of Ljubljana Alojzij Uran stressed that Rode's visit meant a great day of joy for the Slovenian Church and believers because by elevating Rode to the rank of cardinal the pope expressed respect to the entire Slovenian nation.
Several ambassadors and representatives of the Orthodox and Muslim communities in Slovenia attended the Mass, alongside several Slovenian ministers, including Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk, Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Drobnic and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti.

Rode: Slovenia, Europe Should Be Proud of Their Own Spiritual Traditions

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