Ukraine: European Bishops Align With the EU

February 28, 2025, was a memorable day. On that day, an explosive meeting in the Oval Office between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shook the international scene. The president threatened to withdraw all military support to Ukraine, temporarily freezing aid on March 3.

Once the shock had subsided, European leaders, from Ursula von der Leyen to Emmanuel Macron, quickly reaffirmed their commitment to Kyiv, even proposing a massive increase in military spending.

On March 4, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) issued a statement expressing its "unwavering support" for Ukraine in the face of Russia's "unjustifiable invasion." This appears to be nothing new. Since the illegal Russian intervention in Donbass, European bishops have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling it a "flagrant violation of international law" and an attack on human dignity.

But the COMECE statement goes further, urging European Union (EU) leaders to accelerate the ongoing [EU] enlargement process "in a timely and fair manner alongside other candidate countries," including Ukraine first and foremost.

It is also stated that "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law," emphasizing the "humanitarian, political, economic, financial, and military" support legitimately provided by "European Union decision-makers."

By unreservedly supporting the European line on humanitarian aid, but also on the desire for a common European defense, critics opine that the COMECE bishops are straying from their spiritual mission. Their statement emphasizes a "just and lasting peace" while implicitly endorsing the EU's plans to further militarize the continent.

However, this alignment is not entirely surprising. COMECE, created in 1980, aims to support the European integration process by bringing an ethical and spiritual perspective. Its institutional proximity to the EU—its offices are located in Brussels, a stone's throw from European institutions—facilitates ongoing dialogue with political decision-makers.

However, this harmony between the positions of the bishops and those of the EU could raise concerns that COMECE is following the Union's political agenda, without being able to influence it in an effective or substantive manner.

The position of the European bishops also stands out from the more balanced stance that the Holy See is keen to maintain on this thorny issue. The Pontiff's recent interventions on the matter reflect a form of continuity in his call for peace and his condemnation of violence, while maintaining the Vatican's traditional line of diplomatic neutrality. 

In any case, the latest intervention by COMECE has at least one virtue: that of pointing out the difficulty of being audible without being heard in the great concert of nations.