The European project doesn’t always receive good press these days, as the current campaign for the June 9 European Parliament elections demonstrate: for many of our contemporaries, it is seen as remote, technocratic, and ineffective, without realizing what it has enabled and brings us in concrete terms. As for the Catholic Church, many are unaware that it has been committed to supporting the European project from the outset, and others wonder what the church’s role and interest might be in these highly political matters.

First and foremost, the answer lies in the very origins of the European project: the Catholic Church is historically committed to its mission of peace and reconciliation in Europe and the world. This was the approach of the founding fathers, and is clearly reflected in Robert Schuman’s declaration of May 9, 1950: “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.. The contribution which an organized and living Europe can bring to civilization is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations.”

Younger generations are probably less aware of the trauma of the three Franco-German wars fought within the span of 70 years, and of the unprecedented – and probably unique in world history – nature of Franco-German reconciliation. Peace seems to have been achieved in Europe, but Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is a cruel reminder of its frailty.

The Church and Europe

The successive popes have always supported the building of Europe, as a project that made it possible to live in peace after the Second World War, with the prospect of a greater well-being for all peoples. The same was true when it came to welcoming the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into the European Union in the wake of communism.

In his 2003 post-synodal exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, St. John Paul II reminds us that “Europe, with all its inhabitants, must work tirelessly to build peace within its borders and throughout the world. In this connection, we must remember, “on the one hand, national differences ought to be maintained and encouraged as the foundation of European solidarity, while on the other, national identity itself can only be achieved in openness towards other peoples and through solidarity with them” (n. 112).

Elsewhere, he added: “Saying ‘Europe’ must be equivalent to saying ‘openness’ (…). Therefore, it needs to be an open and welcoming continent, continuing to develop in the current process of globalization forms of cooperation that are not merely economic but social and cultural as well.” (n. 111).

This is also why the Catholic Church wanted to be present at European institutions early on, establishing diplomatic relations and the presence of a nuncio in Brussels as early as 1970, and setting up COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union) in 1980 to keep bishops from different member countries informed on European affairs, and enable exchanges with the European Commission and the European Parliament within the framework of the Treaties (Article 17 of the current Lisbon Treaty, which states that the Union shall maintain an “open, regular and transparent dialogue with churches”).

A vision for Europe

For his part, Pope Francis, who hails from another continent, has repeatedly expressed his views on the meaning of European integration, with no fewer than five major speeches on Europe. In a letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, in 2020 for the 40th anniversary of COMECE, he reiterated his vision of Europe: “I dream, then, of a Europe that is a friend to each and all. A land respectful of everyone’s dignity, in which each person is appreciated for his or her intrinsic worth and not viewed purely from an economic standpoint or as a mere consumer. (…) I dream of a Europe that is a family and a community.”

“Europe is a genuine family of peoples, all different yet linked by a common history and destiny,” he added. “I dream of a Europe that is inclusive and generous. A welcoming and hospitable place. (…) I dream of a Europe marked by a healthy secularism, where God and Caesar remain distinct but not opposed. (…) Christians today have a great responsibility: they are called to serve as a leaven in reviving Europe’s conscience and help to generate processes capable of awakening new energies in society.”

Getting back to basics

Beyond the legitimate differences in approach, in economic or political positions between the EU’s member countries, or between the various parties representing the people of Europe, the important thing is always to return to the fundamentals of this project, to give a soul and a meaning to what we are trying to live in this European project, which is often arduous, challenging and sometimes disappointing, and for us Christians, to commit ourselves to it with as much generosity as realism.

This is what Jacques Delors expressed with conviction to students in Bruges in 1989 in a now-famous speech in which he explained that, after reading Hannah Arendt’s Forgiveness and Promise, he had a revelation: “Forgiveness, which is not oblivion, and the promise that the new generations of Germans will be reintegrated into our common history, completely convinced me, and at that moment I understood that Robert Schuman’s appeal (…) had a highly spiritual value, not just political but spiritual. And that day, I said: ‘There, the way has been paved.’ And he goes on to say: “Believe me, we will not make a success of Europe solely based on legal expertise or economic know-how (…). If, in the next ten years, we haven’t managed to give Europe a soul and spirituality and meaning, all bets are off.”

Archbishop Antoine Hérouard of Dijon is the Bishop Delegate of the French Bishops’ Conference to COMECE since November 2017. Between 2018-2023 he served as president of the COMECE Social Affairs Commission. In March 2023, Archbishop Hérouard was elected First Vice-President of COMECE.