At this crucial juncture in the history of Europe, we need a European Parliament that will protect and uphold the Christian values on which the EU is built, according to the Catholic bishops in a statement issued ahead of Friday’s elections.
“The Treaty of the European Union outlines that the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities…let us also remember that the European Union, in its foundation, was rooted in Christian principles of social justice, including the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity.”
The “potentially profound and far-reaching implications of Brexit” made it especially important for people to vote “with a particular concern for the common good rather than for local or national interests only”.
While looking honestly and critically at where the EU – and its member states – had fallen short in realising its fundamental values, people should appreciate the good that has been achieved by the European project, they said, its contribution to developing economies and regions, and “its greatest achievement, that of maintaining peace in Europe”.
