The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) warmly congratulates Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, on receiving the European Order of Merit during a ceremony held today, Tuesday, 19 May 2026, in the framework of the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Parolin: “Together, let us be artisans of peace.” Photo Gallery | Video of Card. Parolin’s speech
Cardinal Secretary of State of His Holiness receiving the European Order of Merit at the European Parliament. Strasbourg, 19 May 2026. (Photo: EP)
The distinction, the first of its kind to be awarded by an institution of the European Union, recognises personalities who have made a significant contribution to European integration and the unity of the continent. The award was established on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundations for the European integration process.
During the award ceremony, Cardinal Parolin reaffirmed the commitment of Pope Leo XIV and of the Holy See to promoting a civil coexistence founded on the inviolable dignity of every human person. In a context marked by renewed conflicts and by the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Cardinal stressed the need for the European Union to pursue the “creative effort” of harmony and peace envisioned by Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of European integration, for whom the cause of beatification is currently underway.
Addressing the plenary assembly, Cardinal Parolin conveyed the greetings of Pope Leo XIV and underlined that harmony among peoples remains both a fundamental promise of the European Union and a clear priority of the Holy See’s international engagement. He recalled that the affirmation of human dignity, rooted in Europe’s Christian heritage and upheld by the founding fathers of the European project, must remain at the heart of European policies and institutions.
Cardinal Parolin concluded his address by renewing the willingness of the Holy See to cooperate with European institutions in order to be “artisans of peace together”.
COMECE welcomes this recognition as a meaningful sign of the shared commitment of the Holy See and the European institutions to peace, dialogue, human dignity and the European common good.
Already in March 2026, following the announcement of the first laureates of the European Order of Merit, the President of COMECE, Mgr Mariano Crociata, had welcomed the initiative of the European Parliament, recalling that “the most difficult moments are precisely those in which it is most necessary to recall and revitalise the fundamental reasons upon which a reality such as the European Union has been built”. Mgr Crociata also underlined that the recognition of prominent European figures should contribute to strengthening a shared awareness of the value of the European Union and of the importance of continuing the path of European integration.
Among the recipients of the European Order of Merit were also former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa and former Portuguese President and Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva.