“Declaring Edith Stein the co-patron saint of Europe today means placing on the horizon of the old continent a banner of respect, of tolerance, of acceptance that calls men and women to understand and accept each other, beyond any ethnical, cultural or religious difference, to form a truly fraternal society”. With these words, on 1st October 1999 John Paul II canonised Benedicta Teresa of the Cross, born Edith Stein, co-patron saint of Europe. Along with St Bridget of Sweden and St Catherine of Siena, Edith Stein is called to stand for that holiness that is, for Europe, “the secret of its past and the hope of its future”. Edith Stein, who in Christianity rediscovered her Jewish roots, is, in John Paul II’s words, the example of a unity that is “grounded on the universal moral law, engraved in every man’s heart”. “Europeans - John Paul II writes - are called to leave behind the historical rivalries that have often made their Continent the scene of devastating wars. At the same time, they must work to lay the conditions to improve cohesion and cooperation among peoples. They are faced with the great challenge of building a culture and ethics of unity, without which any policy of unity is bound to fail, sooner or later”.