On Monday, September 22, Monsignor Bernardito Auza, Nuncio to the European Union, visited the St. Benedict community, the Jesuit community attached to JCEP. He was accompanied by Monsignor Jean-Baptiste Itaruma, an officer at the nunciature who maintains regular contact with the directors of JESC and JRS Europe. The whole community was present at the dinner, given the solemnity of the occasion.

The conversation was very lively. Monsignor Auza had been Nuncio in Spain immediately before coming to Brussels, and he enjoyed meeting two Spaniards (Alberto Ares and Gonzalo Villagrán) in the community and sharing memories of his time there.

The Nuncio spoke particularly about his experience at the United Nations in New York and now at the European Union. In this sense, Monsignor Auza brings extensive experience with international organizations and with the Church’s presence in them. In response to our questions, he devoted a good while to sharing his views on the possibilities and challenges of the European Union and on the role the Church is playing in its development. It was striking to hear how many important informal encounters he is having with members of the European Commission and the European Parliament. Through our conversation we became more aware of how the Church is a significant actor in the European Union—not a partisan one, but one that can help different positions come together and can support the Union in integrating the natural religious dimension of social life.

At another point in the conversation, Monsignor Bernardito also spoke at length with Filipe Martins and Benoît Willemaers, from the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC), about the role of the Church in today’s ecological movement. JESC is in fact strongly committed to advocacy in favor of the care of creation.

The dinner was an extraordinary one, most fitting for such an important occasion, prepared by Rosario Mattos, our cook, with the expert guidance of Benoît Willemaers.