COMECE participated in the Article 17 TFEU Annual High-Level Meeting between the European Commission and religious leaders on the theme “Living together in increasingly polarised societies” on Monday, 17 November 2024. During the meeting, COMECE Vice-President, Mgr Czeslaw Kozon, called for stronger institutional action, including “the appointment of an EU Coordinator on combating anti-Christian hatred and the urgent need for improved religious literacy”. Read the COMECE contribution | Photo Gallery
The meeting was hosted by Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration and the Commissioner responsible for the implementation of the Article 17 TFEU Dialogue. COMECE was represented by its Vice-President, Mgr Czeslaw Kozon, Bishop of Copenhagen.
The Vice-President of COMECE underscored the erosion of genuine pluralism in the European Union, the political instrumentalisation of religion and the insufficient protection of fundamental religious freedoms. The Bishop further stressed the urgent need “for improved religious literacy, crucial to tackle the many challenges and limitations for Christians in modern societies, deriving from sheer hostility, ignorance and lack of comprehension”, he continued.
Annual Article 17 TFEU meeting between the European Commission and religious leaders. The photo includes: Commissioner Magnus Brunner and COMECE Vice-President Mgr. Czeslaw Kozon. Brussels, 17 Nov 2025. (Photo: EC- Audiovisual Service/Lukasz Kobus)
The Bishop’s address highlighted the growing challenges faced by Christians in contemporary European societies, marked by increasing secularisation, legislative constraints and rising attacks against believers and places of worship.
In this context, Mgr Kozon also called for stronger institutional action, including the appointment of an EU Coordinator on combating anti-Christian hatred, to ensure the security and dignity of Christians across Europe.“COMECE has been strongly advocating for the appointment of an EU Coordinator on combating anti-Christian hatred […], which we believe to be essential to foster the protection of the faithful and their sacred places, regardless of whether they belong to a ‘majority’ or ‘minority’ religious denomination”, he said.
The meeting was hosted by Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration and the European Commission official responsible for the implementation of Article 17 TFEU. The discussion also included a contribution from Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament and the EP representative responsible for Article 17 TFEU.
The Annual High-Level Meeting between the European Commission and religious leaders is part of a long-standing practice supported by Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which foresees an open, transparent and regular dialogue between the EU and Churches, religious associations or communities.
Read the contribution of Mgr Czeslaw Kozon [EN]
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