Greeting Address of Bishop Gusztáv Bölcskei

The words of King Stephen in the Hungarian rock opera István, a Király are appropriate in reference to the European Union, too: “You’re so far away, but still close.” For the outsider, the network of the European Institutions seems to be a complicated, Kafkaesque system in which competing bodies, institutions and communities lobby for their own interests – only comprehensible to those who are actively involved in it. However, the European community is much more than that, having an ever-growing influence on our everyday lives. It is closer to us than we think. The EU’s community of values is based on the Christian vision of its founders about peace and prosperity through justice, and about a continent that has a mission in our world.