Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, the new Secretary General of COMECE (The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union), says European Bishops are working to put human dignity at the forefront of policy decisions in Brussels.
COMECE represents the Catholic Church and her concerns to EU policymakers.
Father Barrios, whose four-year mandate began on 1 September 2019, laid out several of those important issues in an interview with Vatican Radio.
“One of the main challenges is that human dignity – the dignity of every person – is respected and promoted,” said Father Barrios.
Pope Francis always brings up this topic in his speeches, he said, so COMECE strives to “promote the dignity of every human person.”
Father Barrios said other important issues – like migration, ecology, and youth unemployment – are related to human dignity.
Defending migrants
Migration is a hot-button topic in the European Union, and Father Barrios says the Church’s defense of human dignity extends “to those persons who are coming to our borders asking for help.”
He said EU Bishops are seeking to put into practice Pope Francis’ call “to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate” migrants.
The World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be celebrated on 29 September, with the theme “It is not just about migrants.”
Father Barrios said part of the Catholic Church’ mission is to promote the dignity of every human person, as European leaders make policy decisions regarding the migration crisis.
The Church, he said, voices her support for “the need to receive with generosity and to be able to integrate and give a future” to migrants and refugees.
New narrative of hope
Asked about divisions in Europe, Father Barrios said the project of a united Europe is “still valid and followed by a lot of people.”
The Catholic Church, he said, is committed to “trying to help the European project and helping EU institutions go forward in this.”
“I think there is hope,” said Father Barrios, “but maybe we need a new narrative of hope”.
COMECE is made up of bishops delegated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the 28 Member States of the European Union. Bishop Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor, is the COMECE representative from the Irish Bishops’ Conference. For more information on COMECE visit www.comece.eu.
ENDS
Source: Vatican News
