The First Vice-President of COMECE and Archbishop of Dijon, Mgr. Antoine Hérouard, delivered a heartfelt homily during the obsequies of the late President of the EU Commission, Jacques Delors, held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, in Fontaine-la-Gaillarde, France. Mgr. Hérouard articulated Delors’ vision, stating that “he wanted to give a new meaning to political action, rooted in the commandment of Christian love.” Read the text of the homily
(Photograph: Sipa/Rex/Shutterstock)
Mgr. Hérouard paid tribute to the life and legacy of Jacques Delors, recognising the significant contributions made by the former President of the European Commission. In his homily, Mgr. Herouard recalled Delors as a profound Christian believer who dedicated his life to others, including those he accompanied in his numerous trade union and political commitments.
Reflecting on Delors’ perspective on politics, Mgr. Hérouard emphasised, “Jacques Delors saw politics not as a power game, but as a service to others, to the community, to the common good.”
Continuing in his reflection, the Archbishop of Dijon highlighted Delors’ endeavor to redefine political actions, grounded in the commandment of Christian love. “It’s not for nothing that, within European economic integration, Delors strongly advocated for a social pillar and the affirmation of values that put people at the heart of the single market”, the Vice-President of COMECE said.
Delors chaired the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He is the only Commission president to have served for three consecutive terms. During his office, the European integration obtained landmark achievements, including the establishment of the single market, reforms to the common agricultural policy, and the signing of pivotal agreements such as the Single European Act, the Schengen Agreements, and, most notably, the Maastricht Treaty, which laid the foundation for the European Union.
In an earlier interview with Vatican News, Mgr. Hérouard highlighted that “Delors was concerned to root the European institutions in humanist values. There was probably a point at which his faith and his office converged.”
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