Pope Leo XIV tells ECR lawmakers Europe’s identity rests on Judeo-Christian heritage and calls for respectful dialogue between faith and secular reason.
Newsroom (10/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a pointed yet courteous address delivered on Wednesday morning, Pope Leo XIV received a delegation from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group of the European Parliament, emphasizing that Europe’s identity and future cohesion depend fundamentally on acknowledging its Judeo-Christian foundations.
Speaking in the historic Clementine Hall to lawmakers attending an ECR conference in Rome, the pontiff expressed gratitude for their public service while reminding them never to “lose sight of the forgotten ones, those on the margins” whom Christ called “the least” (Lk 9:48). He framed political office as a vocation to advance the common good and urged the elected representatives to model civilized debate marked by courtesy, attentive listening, and genuine dialogue even with opponents.
Invoking Saint Thomas More, patron of politicians, as a timeless example of wisdom, courage, and defense of conscience, Pope Leo XIV insisted that respectful disagreement testifies to reverence for the God-given dignity of every person.
The Pope then turned to what he described as an objective historical reality: Europe’s identity “can only be understood and promoted in reference to its Judeo-Christian roots.” Far from a merely confessional claim, he argued, protecting this religious legacy benefits everyone because Christian communities have indelibly shaped Western civilization—from its cathedrals, art, and music to the founding of universities and advances in science.
He highlighted the continent’s “rich ethical principles and patterns of thought” inherited from Christian Europe as indispensable for safeguarding human dignity “from conception to natural death” and for addressing contemporary challenges such as poverty, social exclusion, economic deprivation, the climate crisis, violence, and war.
Echoing his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV stressed that preserving the Church’s voice through her social doctrine is not about restoring a bygone era but about ensuring Europe retains essential moral and intellectual resources for future cooperation and integration.
Quoting Benedict XVI’s 2010 Westminster Hall address, the pontiff renewed the call for ongoing public dialogue between “the world of reason and the world of faith—the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief.” Such exchange, he said, allows each sphere to respect the other’s competence while offering a mutually “purifying” role that prevents distortions on either side. Politicians, he added, bear particular responsibility for fostering this conversation for the good of Europe and the entire human family.
Concluding his brief remarks, Pope Leo XIV assured the delegation of his prayers and imparted God’s blessings of wisdom, joy, and peace upon them and their families.
The audience—the first known formal encounter between Pope Leo XIV and the ECR Group—comes amid continuing debates in Brussels and Strasbourg over cultural identity, migration, family policy, and the role of religious perspectives in the European public square.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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