Europa-Union Luxembourg (EUL) has announced a European conference on peace building in Europe, which will take place on Friday 23 January 2026 at the Luxembourg School of Religion and Society (LSRS) in Luxembourg-Neudorf-Weimershof.
The event, scheduled to run from 09:00 to 17:30, is organised by the Luxembourg chapter of the Centesimus Annus Pro-Pontifice Foundation (CAPPF), a Holy See foundation, in cooperation with the CAPPF General Secretariat and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE).
Titled "Peace Building in Europe: What Role for Catholic Social Thought and Universal Values?", the conference aims to address topics related to commitment to peace and post-conflict reconstruction in Europe through dialogue and reflection.
According to the organisers, the seminar will take place “amid unprecedented and escalating conflicts in Europe and its surrounding regions, in a context where both long-standing and newly established European and global multilateral mechanisms of dialogue and cooperation are experiencing growing difficulties in fulfilling their role of promoting peace, security and development”.
The programme includes keynote addresses by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, while a video message from Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, is also planned.
The first plenary session, focusing on peacebuilding and recovery in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, will be opened by Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden. Confirmed speakers for this session include Pierre Gramegna, Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Halyna Yanchenko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, and Alex Pivovarsky of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Contributions are also planned from Mgr Mariano Crociata, Chairman of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), and Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank. In total, five plenary sessions are scheduled, covering different themes and held in both English and French.
For further information and registration details, visit: https://www.centesimusannus.org/en/activities/local/luxembourg/luxembourg-23rd-of-january-2026-peace-re-building-in-europe-what-role-for-catholic-social-thought/.
