EU-Churches: dialogue about the “positive contribution” that ecclesial players make to foreign policy

(Brussels) The European Parliament and the Churches talking about the “positive contribution that churches and any ecclesial player can make to the development of a more consistent foreign policy, based on the rule of the law and the respect of human dignity”: this is what took place in Brussels on December 6^th. The Commission of EU Bishops Conferences (Comece) was there too and told about the event in a press release today, emphasising some comments that its delegation made on that occasion. An invitation to the “EU institutions to reflect on the concept of citizenship in the neighbouring countries and in the MENA region”, i.e. Middle East and North Africa, was made by the Maronite archbishop of Cyprus, Youssef Soueif, who also “insisted on the importance of education and dialogue as key to having peace and stability and overcoming hatred”. Shannon Pfohman (Caritas Europe) emphasised instead the “specificity of what the Catholic Church does in the area of development” and invited “the EU institutions to provide equal access to EU funding without discrimination” to religion-inspired organisations. Comece “encourages the EU Parliament to fully reflect its political recommendations in relevant parliamentary initiatives”, the press release states, and is ready to “cooperate in such events, even in the future”.