Church leaders from the Bishops Conferences of the European Union and the Conference of European Churches have urged the presidency to reclaim the EU’s founding values and remain faithful to its Christian roots. Source: The Tablet.
At a meeting in Dublin with the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, which was held in the context of Ireland assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the ecumenical delegation encouraged the EU presidency to recommit to its key values of unity and solidarity.
The necessity of these values, they said, was underscored by the ongoing military conflicts in Europe and its neighbourhood.
They said unity and solidarity ought to be guiding principles for effective joint actions within the EU and beyond its borders.
The church leaders also appealed to the EU presidency to strengthen the EU’s capacity for consensus-building while offering adequate policy responses to current challenges.
While recognising the importance of strengthening European defence in the context of growing international turmoil and the erosion of multilateralism, the delegation of European Church leaders encouraged the EU Presidency to support the development of a European peace strategy, providing a deeper and broader framework focused on peace-building, conflict prevention and reconciliation.
The delegation was led by Bishop Mariano Crociata of Latina, president of Comece, and Archbishop Michael Jackson, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, representing CEC. The delegation also included local Irish Church leaders including Archbishops Eamon Martin, Dermot Farrell and Kieran O’Reilly.
Topics discussed and outlined in their position paper included social cohesion, shared European values, peacebuilding, competitiveness and sustainability, migration and asylum policies, the Multiannual Financial Framework, humanitarian and development cooperation and a credible, citizen-centred EU enlargement process.
In their briefing paper, the Church leaders emphasised the need to address poverty, as well as to nurture civic space by countering exclusion and growing polarisation within European societies. They underlined that economic growth must always serve people, respect creation and pursue the common good.
The Church leaders also stressed that these principles should also apply to technological innovation, including artificial intelligence.
They called for recognition of the role of churches and faith-based actors in contributing to the EU and in needs-based humanitarian responses.
Christians across the EU represented through the two organisations of COMECE and CEC total 380 million.
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Church leaders urge EU presidency to recommit to unity and solidarity (By Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet)
