As the upcoming EU elections approach, the President of COMECE, Mgr. Mariano Crociata, readdressed the topic on Tuesday, 4 June 2024. He encouraged all European citizens, especially Catholics, “to go vote and to do so responsibly, choosing candidates and parties that will continue building a better Europe for all. The EU is not perfect, but we want to improve it together using the democratic tools we have, starting with our right to vote.”

In view of the upcoming elections that will determine the new composition of the European Parliament, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of the European Union (COMECE) issued the following statement from its President, H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata: “As President of the COMECE, I want to encourage once more all European citizens, especially the Catholics, to vote in the upcoming EU elections and to do so responsibly, choosing candidates and parties that will continue building a better Europe for all, a European Union of shared and genuine values, that promotes peace, both within our continent and beyond, justice, human rights, democracy, solidarity and care for our common home. As the bishops of COMECE expressed in their statement for these elections, we acknowledge that the EU is not perfect, but we want to improve it together using the democratic tools we have, starting by our right to vote.”

Mgr. Crociata’s brief statement recalls some of the messages included in the declaration “For a responsible vote promoting Christian values and the European project”, issued by COMECE in March 2024 and signed by all Bishops delegated by the EU Episcopates to the Assembly of COMECE. The declaration is available here in nine languages.

COMECE representatives have repeatedly affirmed the importance of popular participation and engagement in these elections. In this regard, in May 2024, COMECE released the position paper titled “Strengthening the culture of democracy through values”. Developed by the COMECE Commission on Ethics, this document offers an ethical perspective on the crucial role that values play in promoting, consolidating, and improving democracy in Europe, ensuring its legacy for future generations. The position paper is available here.

In the same month, COMECE, together with representatives of other Churches, signed the declaration “Europe, be yourself!”, calling on European politicians to recognise Christian values as a main foundation of the European project, implement Article 17 (3) TFEU, fight against the instrumentalisation of Churches for political interests, and promote Christian values in political programs and pre-election campaigns. The declaration is available here in three languages.

Moreover, considering that many young people are called to vote in these elections, COMECE has released the “Toolkit for Young Europeans”. This comprehensive toolkit aims to empower young people across Europe to actively engage in the democratic process, guided by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The toolkit was developed by the COMECE Youth Platform and translated into thirteen languages by the COMECE Youth Net. The toolkit is available here.

Source: comece.eu