Church and society
(Strasbourg) On 7 March 1970, the Holy See was granted Observer status to the Council of Europe, as a result of the official relations established between the two in 1962. It is now 50 years that a representative of the Catholic Church has been present in this international body: the main highlights have certainly been the two Papal visits to Strasbourg, by John Paul II in 1988 and by Pope Francis in 2014. But this presence is even more visible in the daily work of and constant contribution to the over 30 committees and working groups of which the Holy See is a member. Since September 2019, this service has been performed by Mgr. Marco Ganci, appointed by Pope Francis as Permanent Observer of the Holy See. And it is him, Mgr. Ganci, who will open the interdisciplinary days organised by the Catholic Faculty of the University of Strasbourg on 7-9 January, which will look back at these 50 years from different perspectives. “Building Europe Together” is the title of the colloquium that will explore “issues relating to the participation of Christians in European integration, both from a legal and social point of view”. “The contribution of Christians to an international organization” will also be discussed, especially as regards ethical issues (bioethics, new technologies, reception of migrants, financial transparency, etc.), and other themes such as education and culture, the protection of human rights and human dignity. A session will be dedicated to the relationship between faith and politics. The detailed program is available at https://theocatho.unistra.fr/
