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ROME – With European elections just three months away, continental European bishops, like other Christian churches, are warning that the Christian principles on which Europe was founded are being ignored or exploited for political gain. I am lamenting that there is.
They also called for an open and consistent dialogue between church and state, for all European institutions and for all candidates for the European Parliament to promote Christian values in their pre-election campaigns, and for the politicization of faith. asked to fight.
In a joint statement on March 20, the Committee of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) said that the continuing economic, migration, health and energy crises in Europe and the world, as well as the current global conflicts, have led to He said it was made worse by several factors. “This is a widespread crisis of values in the European region, calling into question democratic principles and institutions.”
They point out that it is becoming increasingly difficult to respond to this situation within Europe’s decision-making centres, and that, as intellectual, political and religious actors, they need to “set priorities for a sustainable future for Europe”. He said he felt it was necessary to support “redefining the ranking framework.”
In addition to COMECE, the statement was signed by the European Council of Churches, the Orthodox Interparliamentary Conference, and Together for Europe.
The signatories said, inter alia, that it was “crucial” to promote participatory democracy and ensure the widest possible participation of citizens in decision-making processes and the management of European affairs.
They argue that a significant proportion of EU nationals, who see Europe’s future through the lens of Christian values, are “currently marginalized because they do not have the opportunity to express their positions and opinions in an autonomous and clear way.” “I feel that it is,” he said.
“We also noticed that appropriate references to Christian values were excluded in the relevant EU documents,” they said.
Amid rising secularism, European church leaders have long battled progressive attempts to expand legal protections for acts such as abortion and euthanasia, and consistently rallied against the rise of nationalist populism. However, he has advocated collective policies on issues such as immigration and health. , in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Their statement also comes as France recently became the first country to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, a move that some observers believe will be followed by others across Europe. There are concerns that this will lead to similar legal reforms in other countries as well.
“The importance of the Christian tradition as the ‘environment’ in which today’s European values were established is being overlooked,” COMECE and other signatories said in a statement.
“At this very pre-election period, we as Christians express our desire to secure a substantive and thorough political dialogue, an opportunity to express our firm commitment to European values and what the EU has achieved. ,” they said.
They lamented that values long taken for granted such as peace, stability, prosperity and the rule of law “not rule by force” were “now torn apart”.
He also said that growing fear and anxiety dominated the views of most EU citizens about the future of Europe and the world.
“Fear motivates some of them to seek solutions and spiritual support in objectified and instrumentalized traditions, sometimes disguised as appeals to ‘traditional values’.” they said, criticizing the use of faith-based principles for political purposes.
In such cases, concepts such as “homeland” and “religion” are “weaponized and questionable historical figures are made into heroes,” they said.
“All of this is taking place in a divided public sphere, increasingly characterized by polarization and influenced by disinformation distributed on digital social networks,” they said, adding that this is leading to less dialogue. He said it obscures possibilities and undermines receptivity to expert opinion. Respectfully disagree. ”
They said they frequently observe “the development of closed community groups in which opinions devoid of critical thinking or rebuttal are formed and disseminated, as well as the parallel reality of monologues.”
In this environment, with elections just around the corner, the signatories urge European leaders and their political factions to “reshape their own narrative based on the long-term trends characterizing the European integration process.” He expressed his belief that “we are called upon to do so.”
They said the Christian values embraced by the majority of Europeans “guarantee a safe approach to the changes and challenges we face.”
To this end, all factions in Europe take Christian values into account in policy, especially on core issues “and in a labyrinthine political landscape where citizens are particularly concerned about changing and unstable norms.” He said that it is essential to include it in
The signatories pledged to work together in a dynamic and inclusive way to advance a “positive European agenda” inspired by Christian values.
They call for an open and stable dialogue with the Church, as outlined in the Treaty of Lisbon, and in particular urge European Union political bodies, various political parties and all candidates for the European Parliament to embrace Christian values. He called on the government to “recognize it as a major foundation of society.” This is a European project. ”
To achieve this objective, they in particular refer to Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which imposes a legal obligation on the EU to engage in regular, open and transparent dialogue with churches, religious and non-confessional organizations. I asked that it be installed. To be better implemented.
The signatories also called on EU leaders and organizations to “fight against the instrumentalization of Christian values for political gain and in terms of ethnic and racial narratives” and that June As he approached, he called for the promotion of Christian values in political programs and pre-election campaigns.
Follow Elise Anne Allen on X: @eliseanallen
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