As new fractures emerge at the seams of the European Union, the pope and his bishops seem keenly aware of the current battle for the soul of Europe, which, in light of populist gains, risks creating a new ideological iron curtain. “There could be a new division between Eastern and Western Europe, this time without military or cement walls, but with a wall we created with our votes, through the democratic process,” said Liviu - Petru Zăpîrţan, Romanian Ambassador to the Holy See, in a May 24 interview with Crux.

“There are those who want a divided Europe, fragmented, litigious. Instead, a strong Europe is necessary in the international scene,” said Jesuit Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, president of the Commission of Episcopal Conferences in the European Union (Comece), in a May 19 interview with the newspaper of the Italian bishops.

The archbishop, who was recently in Greece to advocate for immigrants, criticized the “priests of populism,” such as Steve Bannon and Aleksandr Dugin, who in his opinion deny the true message of the Gospel and promote nationalist political parties that are the “anteroom of totalitarianism.” “A weak and internally divided Europe could soon rekindle tensions and conflicts,” Hollerich said, “and we have a historic responsibility to avert this grave danger.”