{"id":194000,"date":"2025-12-18T04:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T04:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/why-religion-matters-at-the-eu-balkans-summit-today-catholic-world-report\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T04:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T04:53:32","slug":"why-religion-matters-at-the-eu-balkans-summit-today-catholic-world-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/why-religion-matters-at-the-eu-balkans-summit-today-catholic-world-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Why religion matters at the EU-Balkans summit today – Catholic World Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bohumil<\/a> By\u00a0Bohumil Petr\u00edk for CNA<\/a>
<\/i>December 17, 2025<\/a><\/span> <\/i>Catholic News Agency<\/a><\/span> <\/i>News Briefs<\/a><\/span> <\/i>1<\/a><\/span> <\/i>Print<\/a><\/span>
 
EWTN News, Dec 17, 2025 \/ 04:00 am (CNA).
In a strongly secular European Union, the Balkans\u2019 complex religious reality plays an important role as officials and diplomats gather on Wednesday to discuss the membership plans for six nations.
The EU-Western Balkans summit <\/a>on Dec. 17 brings together European Union representatives and their counterparts from six Western Balkan nations: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
As officials discuss EU enlargement and current challenges, religious leaders and analysts underscore that the churches \u2014 deeply woven into the region\u2019s national identities, geopolitics, and social fabric \u2014 will be crucial to the success of both European integration and regional stability.
The EU considers itself the main trading partner, investor, and donor<\/a> for the Western Balkans and provides substantial assistance and financial support to the region. However, the religious landscape \u2014 marked by Orthodox majorities, significant Muslim populations, and Catholic minorities \u2014 reflects complex historical, ethnic, and political tensions that shape the region\u2019s future.
\u201cWe hope that the trend of the enlargement is still serious and that it will be confirmed,\u201d Serbia\u2019s ambassador to the Holy See, Sima Avramovi\u0107, told CNA.
Currently, there is a concern about \u201cRussian influence, especially in Serbia, so the EU will try to discuss how to stabilize this area,\u201d Lucio Caracciolo, founder and director of the Italian geopolitical magazine Limes, said in a conversation with CNA. At the same time, he warned of \u201cthe lack of the political will and funds to support\u201d these countries before they are accepted to the 27-member EU.
There are many ethnic groups and three main religious communities in the Western Balkans: Orthodox, Muslim, and Catholic. Albania and Kosovo are mostly Muslim, with the latter at more than 90%. Half of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Muslim. Almost three-quarters of the population in Montenegro belong to the Orthodox Church.
On the contrary, around half of the population in North Macedonia is Orthodox, followed by Muslims and other Christians. The biggest country in terms of inhabitants and area is Serbia, with more than 80% Orthodox believers, followed by other minorities.
The \u201cReligious Freedom in the World Report 2025<\/a>\u201d by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) appreciated positive prospects for religious freedom in Albania and North Macedonia. It sees mostly difficulties in others; for instance, \u201cthe promotion and protection of religious freedom in Kosovo is fragile,\u201d whereas in Montenegro, \u201cpersistent ethno-religious tensions typical of the Balkans are felt,\u201d but ACN recognized efforts made to overcome them.
While Albania was an isolationist communist nation, the other Balkan states were part of the more liberal communist country of Yugoslavia. After the federation\u2019s collapse in 1991, Slovenia and Croatia proceeded toward European integration, becoming EU and NATO members.
The Orthodox churches are important in the countries where they represent a majority religion also for their role \u201cin the nation-building process and in the consolidation of the local nation-states,\u201d expert on Orthodox Christianity Daniela Kalkandjieva from the Sofia University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria told CNA.
At times, they are unable \u201cto exert significant influence on their local society.\u201d
Recently, the Orthodox churches have diverged in opinions \u201cto such political and socio-economic challenges as the refugee crisis, the anti-COVID vaccination, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine,\u201d she explained.
The spread of the \u201cRussian World\u201d concept and \u201choly war\u201d are \u201cnew challenges to the very ethos of Eastern Orthodoxy as a Christian denomination and provoked tensions and disunity among the adherents of this religious tradition.\u201d
On this note, Caracciolo said that some of these churches are \u201ccertainly connected to some powers in Russia and also in the Balkans, which are often in conflict with each other.\u201d
However, the secretary of the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church \u2014 Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO), Bishop Kliment, said that they \u201ccultivate sisterly relations\u201d with the churches of \u201cclosest neighboring peoples.\u201d
In a statement sent to CNA, the bishop emphasized that we \u201cbuild bridges of trust among us, prioritizing solidarity and unity in faith\u201d through Eucharistic communion, mutual visits and joint services, cooperation in education, and the like.
Catholic-Orthodox relations are also complex. Though \u201cthere is always a room for more cooperation,\u201d with Catholics, there are \u201cgood relations, mutual support, and understanding.\u201d He mentioned the traditional annual meeting held for more than half a century in Rome in honor of Sts. Cyril and Methodius and Pope Francis\u2019 visit to North Macedonia in 2019.
Whereas some Orthodox churches collaborate and pray with Catholic representatives, \u201cothers find such interactions incompatible with the Orthodox doctrine and maintain mostly diplomatic relations with the Holy See,\u201d explained Kalkandjieva, who also lectures at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.
Along the same line, Avramovi\u0107 underscored that the religious leaders in Serbia \u201cmeet on different occasions and discuss important social, religious, and other significant issues.\u201d
There are seven traditional churches and religious communities in his homeland, including the Slovak Evangelical Church, the Jewish community, and the Muslim community.
When it comes to the EU, the local Orthodox churches perceive the Union \u201cas an important factor in the lives of their believers\u201d and some have representation offices in Brussels, where many EU institutions are based. Nonetheless, this official dialogue and collaboration are little known in their home countries, Kalkandjieva stressed.
The MOC-AO, which represents the largest religious institution and community in North Macedonia, respects the will of the majority of its citizens and its faithful, who support European integration, Kliment underscored. We \u201cattentively follow the complex internal challenges of the EU,\u201d he added. The Orthodox bishop underlined that it should be \u201ca platform for political and economic stability, fully respecting religious freedoms and the rule of law.\u201d
A few months ago, Croatian Member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula caused a controversy as he posted an old picture of himself on X, posing with a gun<\/a> commemorating Operation Storm. It occurred in 1995 as Croatia took control of what it considered the occupied territories in the south, which was a self-proclaimed republic. As the Croatian army came, thousands of Serbs fled to Serbia.
The social media post sparked backlash not only from Serbia but also from European politicians who called Picula\u2019s statement disturbing and highly politically dangerous.
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The First Advent: Honoring Jesus in the Womb
Extra, extra! News and views for Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Rome Newsroom, Nov 16, 2020 \/ 10:04 am (CNA<\/a>).- Catholics in France gathered outside churches in multiple cities this weekend calling on the government to allow them to attend Mass during the national lockdown.
Protests took place across France, including in Nantes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Rennes, and Versailles, Nov. 14 and 15. A Sunday protest planned in Paris in front of the Church of Saint-Sulpice was prevented by police after authorities said that it violated an order against praying in the streets, according to the AP.
Under France\u2019s second lockdown, all public religious gatherings throughout the country, including public Masses, have been suspended until at least Dec. 1. All non-essential businesses, including restaurants, are closed, but schools remain open.
A legal appeal by the French bishops\u2019 conference was rejected by the Council of State Nov. 7. The bishops had argued that the prohibition of public Masses violates freedom of worship.
At the outdoor gatherings, Catholics sang hymns and prayed the rosary under police supervision.
Catholic demonstrators can be seen in photos holding signs that read \u201cWe Want Mass\u201d and \u201cGod the King.\u201d
In Nantes, nearly 300 people stood in the rain in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary Nov. 15 and chanted: \u201cGive us back the Mass.\u201d
\u201cNormally we should be at mass this Sunday morning. But we don’t have the right. We are deprived of this right for the second time in a row,\u201d Marc Billig, one of the organizers of the Nantes protest, told local media.
French Interior Minister G\u00e9rald Darmanin said that he would meet religious representatives Nov. 16 after French bishops proposed the resumption of Masses with attendance limited to 30% of each church building\u2019s capacity. The French daily Le Monde reported Nov. 16 that the current restrictions are not expected to be lifted until early December at the earliest.
In some dioceses, bishops urged Catholics not to gather outside in protest in light of the coronavirus lockdown.
\u201cLet\u2019s be patient,\u201d Bishop Michel Dubost, apostolic administrator of Lyon, said Nov. 13.
“Let us not come together, neither outside nor inside churches, and show our ability to respect the frameworks given to us in the name of public health,\u201d Dubost said.
Europe is currently experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases, which has led Ireland and England to impose lockdowns and suspend public Masses, while Italy and Spain have implemented regional restrictions and curfews.
There have been more than 1.9 million coronavirus cases in France this year which has led to the deaths of 42,603 people, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.
French health authorities reported Nov. 15 that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen since France implemented its lockdown, but these patients still take up 96% of the country\u2019s ICU beds, AP reported.
In response to the French bishops\u2019 appeal, a judge specified that churches can remain open during the lockdown and that Catholics can go to a church near their homes regardless of distance if they carry the necessary paperwork. Priests will also be allowed to visit people in their homes and chaplains to visit hospitals.
Catholic weddings can take place with a maximum of six people and funerals with no more than 30 people in attendance.
This was the second week of Catholic protests for some French cities. On Nov. 8 more than 500 Catholics gathered in front of the cathedral in both Nantes and Versailles, according to French RTL.
\u201cThey sang hymns, there was the prayer of the rosary, it lasted an hour, ” Bishop Bruno Valentin, auxiliary bishop of Versailles, told AFP.
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Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris. \/ Ibex73 via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Paris, France, Dec 16, 2021 \/ 06:35 am (CNA).
Archbishop Michel Aupetit said this week that he is preparing to sue a French magazine for defamation.In an interview with … […]<\/a>
Female pilgrim on Camino Portuges de la Costa, Portugal, August 2021. \/ Photo credit: Confraternity of St. James – Croatia
Dubrovnik, Croatia, Mar 10, 2024 \/ 06:00 am (CNA).
Since the Middle Ages, a great number of ancient roads throughout Euro… […]<\/a>
\u201cfor instance, \u201cthe promotion and protection of religious freedom in Kosovo is fragile\u201d \u2014 this is nonsense! Where do you guys get the news about Kosovo? At least do you job by checking the facts; consider reaching the Kosovan Catholic clergy or, at least, Kosovan Catholics. Ever since Kosovo\u2019s Declaration of Independence Catholicism and Protestantism are growing. There\u2019s a significant movement for conversion from Islam to Christianity. So far there have been no backlashes nor issues. There\u2019s no religious based discrimination, Catholics are represented in every institution. The only issue remains with the Serbian Orthodox Church – which again is not of religious character but rather ethno-nationalist.
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