Pope Francis on Friday
received the Charlemagne Prize, awarded annually since 1950 by
the German city of Aachen to people who have contributed to the
ideals upon which Europe has been founded, with top EU officials
in attendance.
The pope received the prize from the head of the awarding
committee, Juergen Linden, and Aachen Mayor Marcel Philipp,
watched by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Premier
Matteo Renzi, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker,
European Council President Donald Tusk and European Parliament
Speaker Martin Schulz.
Schulz said Francis deserved the prize because "he recalls
us to the real European values".
He said the time had come to "fight for the EU" and the pope
was a "beacon" for his message.
There was a mood of great expectancy over the speech by the
pope, who has been recognised as Europe's "conscience".
Earlier Linden, the jury chair, read the citation which said
the pope's award was a tribute "to His extraordinary commitment
in favour of peace, understanding and mercy in a European
society of values".
Francis held a private audience Friday morning with Schulz,
a former Charlemagne Prize recipient, Junker and Tusk, and also
met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Previous winners of thee prize include former U.S. President
Bill Clinton and St. John Paul II, who received a special
edition of the prize in 2004.
The Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne once ruled a large swathe
of western Europe from Aachen, near the Belgian border.
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