The European public Space from Constantine the Great to Maastricht
The European public Space from Constantine the Great to Maastricht

Summary/Abstract: This article aims at identifying the mutations that the European public space (and the Euro-Atlantic one, in general) has undergone quite recently, more precisely in post-modernity, in constant comparison with the existential universe specific to the era of Constantine the Great and consequent to this. The notions of “good” and “bad” in the collective subconscious have suffered numerous metamorphoses, which led to a continuous pastoral repositioning of the Church. Yet, the most radical mutation has been represented by the inversion of the old relation between the public sphere and the private one: whereas the era of Constantine the Great was characterized by a precedence of the public over the individual, post-modernity has slowly, but firmly, imposed a reversed relation. Under these circumstances, are there any resources for the Church to activate its doctrine socially, or is it contextually forced to renounce its balanced vision regarding the correct relation between the individual and the community in the work of ontological achievement of man? The author of this article proposes several pastoral solutions to this issue.

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