Building a Community of Dignity

May 19^th, 2025

We, the gathered politicians from various political parties and nations at the first Central European Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast on the Danube River in the heart of Central Europe, as we cross the former line of the iron curtain and commemorate the end of World World II and the Founding of the European Union, and take inspiration from the principles of Jesus, are:

• Conscious of our responsibility before God and man for the well-being of our societies and nations,
• Aware, that Central Europe shares traces of a common identity rooted in historical, political, cultural, and spiritual experiences, profoundly shaped by Christianity,
• Remembering the times that tragically marked Central Europe with occupations, wars, totalitarian regimes, and political divisions that have not yet been fully overcome,
• Inspired by the fact that the Great Evils of the 20^th century were overcome,
• Facing the unjust and cruel war in Ukraine and new geopolitical challenges,
• Convinced that we cannot build a united Europe if we do not share the same fundamental understandings of life, personhood, freedom, identity, family, and culture,

We observe:

• That today, eighty years after the end of World War II and seventy-five years after the Schuman Declaration, the spiritual and cultural foundations upon which the European Union was built are under significant pressure from current civilizational, geopolitical and political developments,
• That polarization is increasing in Europe and globally, and that the culture war contributes to division and harms the development of healthy diversity,
• That peace and existing alliances cannot be taken for granted,
• That significant differences have emerged between Western and Central Europe regarding the core values and principles of the European Union,
• That demographic trends and migration pressures present major challenges,
• That the EU, through its treaties, has acknowledged the contribution of Churches and thus of Christianity,

We are convinced:

• That the EU, by enshrining respect for human dignity and the right to life for all, has established a lasting and binding foundation for its future,
• That the concept of community is also its finest export,
• That it is best to enrich national identities with a European dimension,
• That the principles taught by Jesus and the Judeo-Christian vision of the human person remain relevant and the best starting point for developing coexistence in community,

We commit, in respect for personal and national identities and their dignity, following Jesus’s principles: 

• To repent for crimes of our nations against other nations and against our own people
• To forgive those who committed crimes against us and each one of our nations
• To work for a Europe as a community of non-conflictual and peaceful diversity, rooted in shared values, principles, and a will to coexist in mutual respect,
• To foster a Europe attentive to its constitutive elements,
• To stand for a Europe that supports life and human dignity,
• To strive for a Europe that is inwardly and outwardly a force for justice and peace.

With this, we do not seek to establish a new bloc, but rather—drawing on Central Europe’s experiences and through dialogue with others—to contribute to a new quality of the EU as a community.

Central Europe, Danube River, May 19^th, 2025