The Commission on External Affairs of COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU) has issued a 10-page statement, “Europe, renew your vocation to promote peace.”

“The unjust Russian aggression against Ukraine has not only brought horrific suffering to the Ukrainian people, but it has also greatly challenged the vision of a rules-based international order,” the bishops said in their statement. “We commend the unprecedented assistance provided by the European Union and its Member States to Ukraine and its people, while urging the EU together with the international community, not to cease their efforts for an end of the war, with a free, secure and independent Ukraine in its internationally recognized borders.”

“While lasting peace will only be possible on the basis of a negotiated agreement, the right of Ukraine to legitimate self-defense in line with the principles of international law cannot be denied,” the bishops added.