It won’t be possible to build a sound future for Europe unless its political leaders will strengthen families and embrace the heritage of its past, its judeo-christian roots. This formula has been proven effective for achieving peace, especially by the second half of the last century, and it is the key to a true unity. Without that, the identities of the different peoples in the continent are diluted, and the possibility of a common future is extinguished. That is the consensus of a large group of legislators, members of government and parties, diplomats, judges and prosecutors from 23 countries in America and Europe, who have been recently together for
the latest edition of the Transatlantic dialogues, promoted by the Political Network for Values (PNfV).
On Monday 19
th April, the digital colloquium discussed “
The future of demochristian values in the European Union”.
Katalin Novák, Minister of Family of Hungary, vice-president of the Fidesz party and president of the PNfV, and
Lorenzo Fontana, former Minister of Family and European Matters of Italy and vice-secretary of the La Liga party, opened the discussion. More than forty political actors took part in the event, as well as over 100 citizens and leaders from 25 countries, from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
This Transatlantic dialogue
was held within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe, launched that same day by the European Union authorities. It’s an ambitious consultation process, which will last for one year and
is supposed to be a forum for debate between politicians and the civil society regarding matters that “concern and affect the daily lives” of the continent residents.
There has already been criticism of the Conference due to the way it was set up – ignoring the perspective of conservative governments and parliament groups – and the
established criteria, likely to generate an ideological bias. Our network has decided to join that debate so that, with or without restrictions, the voice and contribution of those who love and support the fundamental values and liberties may be heard.
What does this contribution consist of? As summarized by
Katalin Novák: it is a “yes” to human dignity, life, family, Christianity, work and responsibility, freedom, identity and sovereignty of our peoples; at the same time, it is a “no” to totalitarianisms, communism, antisemitism, the “culture of discarding”, censorship, the weakening of family and the artificial unity that denies our very roots.
Novák reminded us that the peoples of Europe have originated from a Christian cultural source and that a continental unity that recognizes each nation’s identity is only possible if that root is acknowledged. She emphasized that the founding act of the EU – the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1950 – was based on the Christian values of its founders: Robert Schuman, from France, Alcide de Gasperi from Italy, and Konrand Adenauer from Germany. This is a milestone that shouldn’t be forgotten. She also mentioned
the meeting held in Budapest the last 1st April between the Polish Prime Minister,
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Hungarian Prime Minister,
Viktor Orbán, and the leader of the Italian Liga party,
Matteo Salvini, as a step towards the rescue of that inheritance.
Lorenzo Fontana called the attention to the fact that in the EU it prevails “a new form of totalitarianism”, which rejects Christianism, imposes other standards for man and society and openly attacks the institution of family. “Family is the last bastion against this new form of totalitarianism, and the definitive key to our future, […] it is the first community where the person is welcomed and sheltered an educative institution, a vector for traditions, a structure that creates intergenerational bounds and an important well-being provider”.
Fontana emphasized that “our responsibility is to defend and protect every person, family and traditional communities”, providing a fine alternative that may fill with hope, ingrained in the truth and based on identity. “This is not a one country’s battle; we are all involved”.
During the dialogue,
Ángela Gandra, the Brazilian National Secretary of the Family, followed on the same line and stated that “we have to use public reasons for our hope” and present the Christian values not as a threat to human values, but as their full implementation. “Our approach must not be a top-down one; we must understand, wait, be modest, firm and perseverant”, and stress that the axis of social relationships must be love, which is in the centre of the Christian message: “we must always love as much as possible, in the political field too”.
Also took the floor the Hungarian MEPs
Kinga Gál and
Balász Hidvéghi, both of the Fidesz party; the Spanish MPs
Georgina Trias (in writing) and
Ignacio Garriga, of the Vox party; the Brazilian MP
Bernardo Bartolomeo Moreira, of the Novo party;
Egidijus Vareikis, former Lithuanian Foreign Minister;
Ján Figel’ (in writing), former president of the Slovak party Christian Democratic Movement;
Isabel María Salazar, vice-president of the Ecuatorian Justice and Peace Comission; and
Rodrigo Iván Cortés, vice-president of the PNfV board.
You may
watch the full video of the session here or read the chronicle prepared for you by our communication team. And take note: in May the Transatlantic dialogues will address successful experiences on shielding the right to life in some countries.
There is another matter I want to talk to you about:
The resounding defeat of the Puebla Group. Last 11
th April, South America lived an electoral “super Sunday”. There were presidential elections in Ecuador (second round) and Peru (first round) and balloting in 4 Bolivian provinces. The Puebla Group (PG), the region’s new progressist unifying centre, betted big and predicted it would win it all; however, all its candidates were defeated.
Andrés Arauz,
Rafael Correa’s strongman, was beaten in Ecuador;
Verónica Mendoza got the sixth place in Peru; and in Bolivia
Evo Morales’s Movement for Socialism lost all four governorships it fought for.
The winner in Ecuador was
Guillermo Lasso, a man of clear beliefs, an advocate of the right to life, family and fundamental liberties; a convinced Catholic without complex. He claims not to be rightist not leftist, but conservative in social matters and libertarian in economy. His successful professional career was built in banking institutions. He is married to María de Lourdes Alcívar Crespo, with whom he has five children. Our network looks hopefully on his arrival to the presidency of Ecuador. I have prepared for you a profile of Lasso and a brief analysis.
Read it here.
In Peru, the situation is complex. Although the PG’s candidate got a very few votes, the first place went to
Pedro Castillo, an outsider that nobody saw coming. There was an extraordinary vote fragmentation: none of the candidates got more than 20%. Castillo received 19% of the votes; the second and third places 13% and 12%, respectively. All the other votes were divided between 15 candidates.
The bad news is that Castillo is from the radical left, closer to communism than to socialism; besides that, he intends to convene a constituent assembly and close the Constitutional Court. During his campaign, he has declared himself to be against abortion, gender ideology, equalization of same-sex unions to matrimony and legalization of drugs, but his government programme and alliances support all of these points.
The good news is that the candidate who is going to face Castillo in the second round,
Keiko Fujimori, has publicly and unequivocally declared in a video that she will defend life and family, and his party, Fuerza Popular, supports her. In addition to that,
Rafael López Aliaga, the most conservative candidate and who got the third place, declared his support for her. His party, Renovación Popular, has the fourth biggest caucus in the Congress, with 13 seats.
Carlos Polo, member of our Experts Committee, has prepared for you a more detailed analysis of what is at stake in Peru.
Read it here.
An invitation from the Intermarium. Finally, we would like to invite you to join an important event of which we are co-organizers, along with the Ordo Iuris Institute from Poland: the
Intermarium Regional Conference on the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD), to be held online next Thursday, 29
th April.
You can register and join through this link; the event is public and free. Lola Velarde, our executive director, will be on of the speakers. We are committed to promote the GCD, which encourages the protection to women’s health, in conjunction with the acknowledgement of the right to life, the promotion of the family and the respect to national sovereignty; a valuable tool for our countries to face improper pressure from international organizations. Schedule it and join us.
I leave to you below the link to the two analysis we have prepared for you, as well as other information that may be of your interest.