European bishops’ secretary-general: Secularization is eclipsing Christian values
The flag of the European Union flying in Rome. / Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).
The bishops of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) held their spring assembly this week in Italy, a meeting in which they considered the European Union’s vocation in the face of current challenges.
From Nemi, a town outside Rome where the meeting took place behind closed doors March 26-27, COMECE secretary-general Father Manuel Barrios spoke with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, and explained the foundations of the mission.
The European Union, a project for peace with Christian roots
“The innate vocation of the European Union is to guarantee peace on the continent and in the world,” the Spanish priest said, noting that the EU was born as a project of reconciliation after the Second World War, so its mission is also to “defend and promote human rights, freedom, democracy, and the dignity of the person,” essential principles enshrined in its founding treaties.
Barrios also emphasized that Europe was evangelized and has Christian roots, a legacy that defines its identity. However, he warned that secularization is advancing strongly and that these values are being eclipsed:
“With secularization, human beings distance themselves not only from transcendence but also from themselves, because the two are linked. We are in a time of rethinking many things, including the way human beings understand themselves,” he noted.
Values eclipsed by secularization
While he acknowledged that many of the principles that inspire the European Union are currently upheld, he regrets that their origins are often lost sight of: “We are forgetting their Christian roots.”
For Barrios, this loss of awareness is, in some cases, intentional: “These values are eclipsed because there is no awareness of them, and sometimes because people don’t want to be aware of them.”
Barrios emphasized that the values that shaped the EU are not just a political construct but part of Europe’s cultural identity. “The European Union was not born solely from a geographical delimitation,” he pointed out.
To face this trend, the priest singled out the need for the personal witness of laypeople in Europe as well as “the witness of the Church and of ecclesial communities.“ He also emphasized the need for a new evangelization as well as “knowing how to dialogue with contemporary culture,“ a task he believes remains to be done despite being “foundational in Europe.“
Rearmament: ‘It’s legitimate for Europe to think about its security’
Regarding plans for rearmament in Europe, a topic Barrios indicated was part of the meeting’s agenda, he explained that the bishops’ position is that it is “correct, licit, and legitimate for Europe to think about its defense and security, especially in a world as turbulent as ours, with so much uncertainty.”
However, he pointed out that “we must not forget that the ultimate goal is peace and that this is Europe’s vocation. So, ‘yes’ to defense, but without losing sight of the fundamental human desire, which is the desire for peace.”
The priest also emphasized working with European institutions to “make the voice of the Church heard in Europe” in the face of challenges such as competitiveness, conflict, sustainability, and migration.
COMECE’s spring assembly brought together bishops, political leaders, and experts as well as representatives of the Vatican, including Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states.
Also attending was an observer from Ukraine (a non-EU member), members of the Greek Catholic Church, former Italian prime ministers Mario Monti and Paolo Gentiloni, and the EU ambassador to the Holy See, Martin Selmayr.
“The beauty of these meetings is that we hear the voices of different sensibilities and different concerns. The war in Ukraine, for example, is perceived very differently in Spain or here in Italy, in Lithuania, in Poland, and in other countries closer to [Ukraine]. So it’s also very good to listen to each other and see the different concerns,” Barrios noted.
Concluding pilgrimage of hope
The meeting concluded with a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s and with a Mass in the basilica. Barrios expressed his enthusiasm for the pilgrimage: “The message of hope is very important in this time we are living in, because there is so much despair, so much uncertainty, and it is necessary to make it clear that our hope as Christians is founded on Jesus Christ.”
“Also in Europe, which has an aging population, and where the future often seems bleak, we as Christians must propose the good proclamation of the Gospel,” he said.
For Barrios, the holy year can bear many fruits, even with Pope Francis ailing. “Despite this situation, the Church continues to powerfully proclaim her message and continues to count on the successor of Peter,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
