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.
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