Meeting of Secretaries General of Justice and Peace Europe, Paris (17-19 February 2023)

Meeting of Secretaries General of Justice and Peace Europe in Paris 

The Secretaries General of the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions (Justice and Peace Europe) met from 17-19 February 2023 in Paris. Thirty participants representing twenty commissions and several Catholic partner organisations discussed the impact of high inflation on European societies. 

At the opening conference, the President of the French Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Eric de Moulins Beaufort, the Governor of the Banque de France, Mr François Villeroy de Galhau, and Mrs Anne-Florence Quintin from the French Confederation of Workers (CFDT), spoke on the subject and allowed for a lively debate. 

As it is widely understood that young people with no property are in particular exposed to the risks of inflation, participants also visited the Césure project in the Paris Latin quarter where the cooperative Plateau Urbain explores original responses to the precarious situation of students. The cooperative temporarily animates a former university site to welcome social and cultural projects, artists, and initiatives to help students suffering from the deterioration of their economic and social situation. 

Over the course of their meeting, the Secretaries General of Justice and Peace Europe also received reports on the continental assembly of the Synod in Prague. Furthermore, they exchanged ideas on the implementation of the annual concerted action 2023, entitled “Facing our fears and re-connecting the World”. 

Participants thanked the delegate from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for his vibrant testimony of the Ukrainian resistance to the brutal Russian invasion launched last February. He particularly underlined the inner strength that is found in confronting one’s fears. Justice and Peace delegates reiterated their support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. 

In the name of the whole European Justice and Peace family, the acting President Cécile Dubernet thanked Archbishop Noel Treanor who served for four years as President of Justice and Peace Europe and wished him a good start in his new role as Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union. At its next General Assembly in the Autumn 2023 in Malta, Justice and Peace Europe will explore the theme, "the changing world of work". 

Paris, 19 February 2023