With elections for European Parliament having taken place in May, an auxiliary bishop of Brussels hopes that Pope Francis' Nov. 25 visit to the body will impact the new members of parliament. Pope Francis will travel to Strasbourg on Tuesday, there addressing the local seat of European Parliament and the Council of Europe. The European Parliament includes members of parliament from the 28 states of the European Union, while the Council of Europe is the organization for the defence of human rights in Europe, and has 47 members.
Bishop Jean Kockerols, Auxiliary Bishop of Malines-Brussels, recounted to CNA on Nov. 21 the commitment of the Church in Brussels to evangelize the European Parliament. “The Church of Brussels is very close to European Union, there are exchanges, contacts … we try to welcome these officials, and this is the reason why Mass is celebrated in 23 different languages in Brussels, since the first thing to do is building bridges of trust with these people.”The bishop underscored that “we should do more,” especially to foster the commitment of these officials in the parishes.
Bishop Kockerols’ hope lies in “Pope Francis' ability to have an impact” on the European Parliament, since “many of the members of parliament are new, and they should know that they have the right and the power to give things a direction.”
Bishop Jean Kockerols, Auxiliary Bishop of Malines-Brussels, recounted to CNA on Nov. 21 the commitment of the Church in Brussels to evangelize the European Parliament. “The Church of Brussels is very close to European Union, there are exchanges, contacts … we try to welcome these officials, and this is the reason why Mass is celebrated in 23 different languages in Brussels, since the first thing to do is building bridges of trust with these people.”The bishop underscored that “we should do more,” especially to foster the commitment of these officials in the parishes.
Bishop Kockerols’ hope lies in “Pope Francis' ability to have an impact” on the European Parliament, since “many of the members of parliament are new, and they should know that they have the right and the power to give things a direction.”
