While the bishops proposed many possible topics for the meeting, the pontiff emphasized dialogue and peace as priorities. The pope also said migrants must be respected and needed services not denied.

Pope Leo XIV met on May 21 with the Commission of the Episcopal Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), with whom he discussed the future of the EU and reflected on current global challenges.

This marks the second official meeting between the Holy Father and the institution, which is the official association of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of all European Union member states. The organization views the encounter as an opportunity to reflect in particular on the process of European integration and to discuss the bishops’ role in promoting peace and integral human development.

Essential issues on the Church’s agenda in Europe

In a statement issued prior to its audience with the pontiff, COMECE outlined some of the topics the group wished to bring to the table, such as migration and the rise of populism in Europe; the fight against poverty; data protection within the Church; artificial intelligence; efforts to facilitate unrestricted access to abortion across the EU; and the mental health of Europeans, among others.

The bishops also discussed a potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to the European Parliament, the appointment of a new special envoy for freedom of religion, and the political shifts currently taking place within the European Parliament.

The COMECE presidency also presented to the Holy Father a proposal to hold a new gathering of “Rethinking Europe” in the autumn of 2027, marking 10 years since the first meeting, which gathered some 300 people at the Vatican, including political representatives from the European Union and its member states, academics, and Church representatives.

The event aimed to reflect on the challenges facing the European Union and to explore ways to strengthen and renew the European project.

Peace: A paramount issue

In a statement to EWTN News, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, highlighted regarding the meeting with the pontiff the need to revitalize Europeʼs capacity to promote dialogue and peace. He recounted that members of COMECE asked the pope what their priorities should be, to which the pontiff responded with clarity: the issue of peace.

Auza also noted that the Holy Father encouraged the bishops to delve deeper into “how the Church should relate to political bodies and how it must remain faithful to its prophetic role” as well as into the issue of migration “within the context of certain movements we call populist in the European Union.”

Auza underscored that Leo XIV upholds “the right of states to define their own migration policies” and emphasized that the Church does not question this. Rather, it maintains that, once migrants have reached their new destination, they cannot be denied the services they need, nor can their human dignity fail to be fully respected.

The bishops also encouraged the pontiff to visit European institutions, recalling the official invitation extended to him by Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, during a private audience on March 5.

According to the nuncio, this visit “would be of great assistance to us, as it would lend significant momentum and great authority, we might say, to the work we constantly carry out in Brussels and Strasbourg.”

Excellent atmosphere, calm dialogue

For his part, Bishop Mariano Crociata, president of COMECE, highlighted in a conversation with EWTN News the “calm, serene, and welcoming” presence of Pope Leo XIV.

“The meeting unfolded in an atmosphere of great naturalness, spontaneity, and cordiality, and at the same time, of clarity regarding the issues discussed,” he emphasized.

Crociata stated that it was “a calm dialogue” between people who know one another “and who hold the same task and the same mission in their hearts … there was an excellent atmosphere and a desire to continue working in unity and together.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.