The March 20 joint statement was signed by the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the Conference of European Churches, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, and Together for Europe ahead of the European parliamentary elections that will take place from June 6–9.
The election, which is held every five years, will be an opportunity for citizens from the 27 EU member states to elect a total of 720 members of the European Parliament (MEPS), representing an estimated 448.4 million people.
The statement from the bishops highlighted the myriad challenges that the bloc faces, ranging from an energy crisis, sluggish economic growth, and common security risks as well as the migrant crisis and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
“These challenges,” the statement continued, “are accompanied by a broader crisis of values in the European area, which calls into question democratic principles and institutions.”
The signatories called on parliamentary candidates to promote Christian values in their political manifestos and electoral campaigns. They also stressed the importance of the European Union institutions to “recognize Christian values as a main foundation of the European project” in line with the provisions outlined in Article 17 (3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
The bishops also raised concerns of political “polarization” and the “instrumentalization” of religious values to advance political objectives and “ethno-racial narratives,” an apparent slight to right-wing leaders across Europe.
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