Speaking on December 10 to a group of European political leaders from Conservative and Reform parties, Pope Leo XIV underlined the insistence of previous Pontiffs that “European identity can only be understood and promoted in reference to its Judeo-Christian roots.”
The Pope added that the recognition of Christianity’s role in Europe is not a plea for special treatment but a “recognition of fact.” The purpose of that recognition, he continued, is “not about the restoration of a past epoch, but of guaranteeing that key resources for future cooperation and integration are not lost.”