EU Ambassador to the Vatican: Francis’ texts inspire our agreements

The European Union and the Vatican celebrate their Silver Jubilee. 50 years of diplomatic relations and collaboration, as evidenced by Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Francisco.

The ambassador of the European Union to the Holy See has visited Rome Reports to talk about this long history of understanding.

ALEXANDRA VALKENBURG
EU Ambassador to the Holy See
“We have common values ​​such as Human Rights, work for peace, climate change and multilateralism as a way of working. The fight for peace and the interreligious dialogue that it promotes so much is something we strongly agree on ”.

Alexandra Valkenburg is Dutch. She arrived in Rome in September after four years as ambassador for the European Union in Cuba and Jamaica. To understand Europe, he recommends reading this letter from Francis for 50 years of diplomatic relations. In it, the Pope dreams “of a healthy secular Europe, where God and Caesar are different but not opposed.”

The ambassador says that the EU is closely following the great texts of Pope Francis.

ALEXANDRA VALKENBURG
EU Ambassador to the Holy See
“The European Union has highly valued the encyclical ‘Laudato si’”. That has played an important role at the time of the Paris Summit. Pope’s vision that we must think about the future of the planet and protect the planet for future generations has also been important to ensure support in different countries of the world.

In fact, the EU has the active participation of the Vatican during COP26 in Glasgow, which the Pope will attend.

Alexandra Valkenburg also recalls her personal experience in Central America, where Church authorities are fundamental in peace processes.

ALEXANDRA VALKENBURG
EU Ambassador to the Holy See
“The Church has played a very important role in the Human Rights office of the archdiocese of Guatemala. It has played an important role in encouraging justice, seeking the truth. I believe that all the important Human Rights lawyers … They all come and are educated in the Human Rights office of the archdiocese of Guatemala ”.

These 50 years of relations are being commemorated with meetings in emblematic churches of Rome linked to states of the Union. The last will take place in Santa Maria della Pietà in Campo Santo, next to the cemetery where Charlemagne buried his subjects. The Vatican’s foreign minister will celebrate a mass there.

With this anniversary, the European Union and the Holy See intend to further strengthen their ties and continue working for the future for many more years.

Romereports.com