“Which common home, borders and bridges after the crisis?”. This is the question which the session put forward by “Passion for Europe”, a group of Catholics from seven countries “who are passionate about the European project”, in partnership with the Jesuit European Social Centre(Jesc), will try to answer. The programme of the two-day workshop due to take place in Namur, Belgium (24-26 September), is closely related to the Conference on the Future of Europe. Speeches by prominent figures will alternate with group discussions. The conference will be opened by Alain Lamassoure, former French minister and member of the European Parliament, about borders. Discussions will then move “beyond borders, how to avoid fragmentation, build solidarity and preserve fraternity despite crises”, with such guest speakers as Katharina Erdmenger, permanent representative of Germany to the EU, and Gyula Ocskay, secretary general of the Central European service for cross-border initiatives (Cesci).

Part of the conference will investigate the “spiritual dimension of resilience, a condition for our common home of the future”, with European political voices associated with the Conference on the Future of Europe, and will be followed by a speech of mgr. Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio to the EU. The last part of the conference will be spent preparing a document to be submitted to the Conference’s platform.