Rome 7 June 2023 – Tomorrow, Thursday 8 June, the Order of Malta’s Grand Master Fra’ John Dunlap will receive some hundred European members of the European People’s Party at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill for a debate on “Christianity, Europe and its Mission in the World”.

The Parliamentarians, led by EPP President Manfred Weber, will meet in the Chapter House of the Magistral Villa and listen to speeches by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals, Monsignor Mariano Crociata, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, Monsignor Miroslaw Wachowski, Under-Secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, and Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta.

This will be followed by an in-depth debate on the role of Christian values in European integration processes, in addressing the challenges posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and on the contribution they can make to creating an atmosphere of genuine solidarity and brotherhood in the European context. There will also be an intervention by the Italian Foreign Minister, the Hon. Antonio Tajani.

The following morning, the European Parliamentarians will meet at the Auditorium della Conciliazione to continue the working session and will have various meetings in the Vatican.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s Embassy to the Holy See is organizing the event at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill.