Bishops stress importance of outcome of European elections

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has stressed the importance of the outcome the European elections and the impact the MEPs will have on youth unemployment, social protection, income, and working conditions.

In a statement ahead of Friday’s elections, the conference said it wanted to make a special plea to first-time voters to ensure their voices are heard in the important policy decisions before the EU.

“The goal of European integration has not yet been fully realised,” said the statement. “There is more work to be done to realise social cohesion and a strong identification of citizens with the institutions that represent us at European level. These elections offer an important opportunity to address these challenges.”

The conference said that, as EU citizens, voters have a role to play in shaping its future through choosing the European Parliament. It said political leadership is a vital service to society.

“As Christians, we are called to articulate the fundamental values of human life which can then find expression in political activity,” the conference said. “It follows, then, that we all have a responsibility to support our elected representatives by actively engaging in the political life of our society.

“In examining the policy issues before us in this election, we need to look at the impact of European policy on the pressing issues of youth employment and unemployment, social protection, income and working conditions, all of which have a major impact on family life.”

The conference also pointed out that EU social and economic policy needs to ensure that growth is balanced with environmental sustainability to ensure fair distribution of the earth’s resources.

“The European Union’s external relations with developing nations do not yet live up to our commitments to fairness, equality and social justice,” it said.

“The plight of those migrants who have lost their lives in recent months while attempting perilous journeys to Europe by sea is a stark reminder of the extremes of inequality we continue to tolerate in our world.”

The bishops also said people need to ask themselves whether current foreign policy reflects the founding vision of those committed to the European project, a vision of peace and reconciliation founded on solidarity and mutual respect.

“The process of European integration has been an important achievement in peace-building and conflict resolution,” it said. “The principles that guided this process need to be applied to all aspects of European Union foreign policy. The current crisis in Ukraine is a prominent example of a situation where this leadership is urgently required.

“The timing of these elections — bringing together the local and the European — reminds us that the difficulties we face in Ireland are being experienced in other European nations.

“The scheduling of these elections side by side also reminds us that the European project will only be as strong as the democratic culture of the different national communities contained within it. In an increasingly globalised world, we need this European project to work. If it is to serve our needs, we need to be ready to play our part.”