Vatican envoy: Europe’s military buildup must serve peace, not war

BRUSSELS, Belgium — As Europe accelerates military spending in response to Russiaʼs war in Ukraine and uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees to NATO allies, the Vaticanʼs ambassador to the European Union has warned that rearmament must serve peace, not war.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, addressed the Nov. 11–12 Brussels conference of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, organized at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU by the foundationʼs German chapter with its Netherlands chapter and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE). It followed a first conference in Luxembourg in January and a seminar in Ventotene, Italy, in October.

Auza warned that Europe faces a “profound and multidimensional crisis” involving security, economic competitiveness, and the erosion of its founding values.

“In face of a crisis in peace, security, and multilateralism, the Church teaches the unarmed and disarming peace,” he said, stressing that security “cannot be separated from the culture of peace and dialogue.”

The conference featured an opening video address by European…