EU Bishops call for a renewed process of dialogue

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, EU Bishops call upon all Europeans to work together towards a free and united Europe “through a renewed process of dialogue […] for a common peaceful future”. COMECE Vice-President H.E. Mgr. Overbeck (Germany): “it is a call on the European people to cooperate in solidarity”.

(Credit: Web)

This statement was adopted by the Assembly of COMECE – composed of the Bishop-Delegates of the Episcopates of the European Union – held in Brussels on 23-25 October 2019 under the chairmanship of H. Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, President of COMECE.

The fall of the Berlin Wall, on 9 November 1989, marked “one of the most important events in European history”, state the Bishops. This event was guided by hope and expectations for a better future, allowing Europe to finally “breath with two lungs” – East and West – and to deepen its own integration process.

Vice President of COMECE, Mgr. Franz-Josef Overbeck. (Credit: DBK)

In their statement, the Bishops of the EU highlight the prophetic dimension of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is not only an event of the past to be celebrated, but a great lesson for the entire humanity: “constructing walls between people is never the solution”.

“In times of strengthened nationalisms – says H.E. Mgr. Franz-Josef Overbeck, Vice-President of COMECE – the fall of the Berlin Wall reminds us vividly, and not only the Germans, of the value of liberty, and of the EU’s significance as a project of peace”.

The Bishops of the EU encourage “all Europeans to work together towards and united Europe through a renewed process of dialogue […] for a common peaceful future” and invite all to renew the commitment to those principles on which Europe is built: justice, liberty and peace.