BRUSSELS, Belgium — As Europe accelerates military spending in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees to NATO allies, the Vatican's ambassador to the European Union has warned that rearmament must serve peace, not war.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, addressed the Nov. 11–12 Brussels conference of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, organized at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU by the foundation's German chapter with its Netherlands chapter and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE). It followed a first conference in Luxembourg in January and a seminar in Ventotene, Italy, in October.
Auza warned that Europe faces a "profound and multidimensional crisis" involving security, economic competitiveness, and the erosion of its founding values.
"In face of a crisis in peace, security, and multilateralism, the Church teaches the unarmed and disarming peace," he said, stressing that security "cannot be separated from the culture of peace and dialogue."
The conference featured an opening video address by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and brought together prominent political and diplomatic figures, including Herman Van Rompuy, the former Belgian prime minister and president of the European Council, and Thomas Antoine, a Belgian diplomat and former secretary-general of the Benelux Union.
Rearmament and the right to self-defense
While advocating peace and dialogue, Auza also acknowledged the right of nations to self-defense.
"The Church is not a naive pacifist," he said.
"I believe that the theory or doctrine of just or justified war cannot be abandoned, because in essence it means the right of self-defense and the defense of fundamental values worth the sacrifice."
Auza recalled Pope Leo XIV's Sept. 28 Metz address in France, where the pope praised European integration pioneer Robert Schuman's commitment to reconciliation and warned against relying on military force rather than dialogue to secure peace.
Speaking exclusively to EWTN News, Auza reflected on the challenges of international intervention, drawing on his six years as apostolic nuncio to Haiti, where successive United Nations peacekeeping missions have struggled to deliver lasting stability.
When asked about Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's recent military intervention against gangs in Haiti, Auza stressed that Haitians must lead their country's reconstruction but said the international community has a moral obligation to help, even when its strategic interests are limited.
"They are my brothers and sisters. I must be in solidarity with them," he said.
Migration challenges in the social media age
The conference also examined Europe's migration pressures, including the surge in arrivals in Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, in late July, and the continuing dangers of Mediterranean crossings.
EU lawmaker Lena Düpont described how the movement into Ceuta gathered momentum "within roughly two and a half days, via social media," questioning whether international agreements such as the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention are equipped to address such rapid mobilization in the digital age.
"We need to find new ways of actually making sure that we close our own vulnerabilities," she said, while stressing that Europe must not abandon its humanitarian and Christian values.
Corinna Ullrich, a European Commission director for migration and home affairs, highlighted the economic incentives driving migrant smuggling.
She explained that families often pool their savings to pay thousands of euros for dangerous crossings to Europe, expecting young relatives to find work and send money home.
"They think once the people are here, they work, they will pay them back 10 times," she said.
However, Ullrich warned that smugglers profit regardless of whether migrants survive the crossing or ultimately have their asylum claims rejected.
Putting Catholic social teaching into practice
Founded by St. John Paul II more than three decades ago, the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation is now adopting a deliberate continental strategy to apply Catholic social teaching to today's security, economic, and social challenges, its president said.
Speaking exclusively to EWTN News, foundation president Paolo Garonna outlined plans for initiatives across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa. The principles remain the same, he said, but their concrete application must respond to the distinct realities of each region.
In Asia, Garonna stressed the importance of interfaith dialogue, given the region's religious diversity, in contrast to predominantly Catholic Latin America. Against this backdrop, the foundation plans to explore Islamic and Christian approaches to finance.
"Through an interfaith engagement we can bridge the financing gaps," he said.
In Africa, Garonna emphasized the need for locally led economic development, with international partners playing a supporting role. "It's the Africans" who must lead, he stressed, noting that African Catholics bring their own distinctive perspectives to Catholic social teaching.
Garonna also highlighted the importance of cooperation between governments and businesses.
"Rather than opposing the public and the private, we need an ethical framework that helps the two join together," he said.
