Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Caritas in Veritate: EPP Group holds structural dialogue with Churches

Conference on the Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate'
Joseph Daul MEP (France), Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament (in the middle), (r-l) Othmar Karas MEP (Austria), Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group responsible for intercultural activities, László Tőkés MEP (EPP Group, Romania), Vice-President of the European Parliament, Paolo Licandro, Deputy Secretary-General of the EPP Group, HE Archbishop André Dupuy, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, Father Piotr Mazurkiewicz, General Secretary of the Commission of Bishops' Conferences of the European Communities (COMECE), and Győrgy Hőlvényi, EPP Group Secretariat

Brussels, 14 September 2010

Caritas in Veritate: EPP Group holds structural dialogue with Churches

In conjunction with COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops' Conference of the European Community, the EPP Group in the European Parliament organised a dialogue on the encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate' (Charity in Truth) on the occasion of the first anniversary of its publication.

Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, László Tőkes MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group responsible for inter-religious dialogues, Archbishop André Dupuy, Apostolic Nuncio to the EU, and Father Piotr Mazurkwiewicz, General Secretary of COMECE and many other clergy, scholars and politicians participated in this dialogue.

'Caritas in Veritate' is the first social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI and concerns the problems of global development and progress. Participants debated subjects such as 'Is a culture without values possible?', 'Family as the key for the future', 'Economy and civil society' and 'Development and environment'.

Joseph Daul MEP strongly supports the dialogue between the EPP Group and Churches and other religious organisations and will continue to deepen this special relationship. The Group is seeking to find common ground through open discussions between politicians and the representatives of Churches on current and future challenges facing European citizens and their governments. "It is important to seek common values and defend those values and fight against extremism, whether it be from the left or the right", he said.

Othmar Karas MEP said: "We have to broaden our network and get to know our allies. We want to attract more people. I would say that Christian dialogue is like the Cross, which doesn't cross out, but connects. There are many Christians and baptised politicians, but not every Christian and every baptised politician is a bearer of the Christian doctrine. We want to confront politicians with our message and the Church, so that they find support and guidance in their political work."
Archbishop André Dupuy, Apostolic Nuncio to the EU, stressed that the Papal encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate' was not intended to be a blueprint for economical needs, but to give direction to build a more fraternal world.

COMECE General Secretary Father Priotr Mazurkiewicz said that the Church does not give technical solutions but deals with ethical progress in society. The challenge is not to give technical advice to politicians but to put the people and their actions at the forefront.

HE Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), said cultural and ethical aspects of the encyclical are not just ideas, but form the essence of Christianity. In his view, the current economical crisis was not just an inevitable disaster, but the result of a degeneration of values.

Professor Stefano Zamagni of the University of Bologna agreed with HE Metropolitan Emmanuel by saying that the world is suffering from a lack of thought. Social and economical aspects appear to be separate issues but in fact, they are much more interlinked than many people think. Corien Wortmann-Kool MEP, Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP Group responsible for economics and environment, said that for this very reason, the EPP Group is focusing on the EU 2020 Strategy to revitalise Europe's economy, and to ensure the inclusion of people. "Work is not only a production factor, but gives also the opportunity for people to participate in society. We have an obligation to stimulate this", said Wortmann-Kool.

László Tőkes MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for dialogue with Churches and religions and inter-cultural dialogue, concluded that European unity cannot be fulfilled without the participation of Churches and it cannot be fulfilled without their good cooperation."

More information on the conference
http://www.eppgroup.eu/Press/peve10/eve030_en.asp

Watch 'Religious institutions must be included in political dialogue' on
http://www.eppgroup.eu/tv/default.asp?vid_id=100915_event

For further information:
Eduard Slootweg, EPP Group Press & Communications Service, Tel: +32-475-721280

Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members.

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