Will Pope Francis' words foster a new pact for Europe?

Brussels, Belgium, Nov 24, 2014 / 17:09 pm

With elections for European Parliament having taken place in May, an auxiliary bishop of Brussels hopes that Pope Francis' Nov. 25 visit to the body will impact the new members of parliament.

Pope Francis will travel to Strasbourg on Tuesday, there addressing the local seat of European Parliament and the Council of Europe.

The European Parliament includes members of parliament from the 28 states of the European Union, while the Council of Europe is the organization for the defence of human rights in Europe, and has 47 members.

Bishop Jean Kockerols, Auxiliary Bishop of Malines-Brussels, recounted to CNA on Nov. 21 the commitment of the Church in Brussels to evangelize the European Parliament.

"The Church of Brussels is very close to European Union, there are exchanges, contacts … we try to welcome these officials, and this is the reason why Mass is celebrated in 23 different languages in Brussels, since the first thing to do is building bridges of trust with these people."

The bishop underscored that "we should do more," especially to foster the commitment of these officials in the parishes.

The European Union "has lived a great evolution," he said, noting its expansion from six to 28 member states.

Bishop Kockerols' hope lies in "Pope Francis' ability to have an impact" on the European Parliament, since "many of the members of parliament are new, and they should know that they have the right and the power to give things a direction."

The Church, he said, is "trying to build a strong network of officials and members of parliament, because it is important that they discover the social teaching of the Church."

He also stressed the importance of having criteria for European policies which are "more oriented to the human person."

Father Patrick Daly, general secretary of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, said Pope Francis' visit is significant for highlighting Europe's social, economic, and political family.

He described the commission as a "watchdog on the evolution of European institutions," and this is why "Pope Francis' visit is quite important for our work … it shows that the Pope appreciates the European project, and he deems it important for all citizens."

"This is a papal affirmation of great importance. The Pope acknowledge that the (European) Parliament, gathered in Strasbourg for a plenary assembly, determines in some ways the future profile of our social, economic, and political family."

Fr. Daly recounted that the bishops of the commission are above all "worried about the situation of young people, who cannot find a job, and, if they do work, they cannot build a family life."

All of these new families are living in a highly secularized Europe.

"On the other hand, we should not forget that though our world is more secularized than 50 years ago … I think that the search for authentic values is still at the heart of the European project."