The meeting of the European Justice and Peace Commissions and Justitia et Pax Europe was held in Cyprus from 22 to 24 February. The meeting, which was attended by about fifteen Commissions, was coordinated by His Excellency Mons. Noël Treanor, president of Justitia et Pax Europa and bishop of Down and Connor (Ireland), and hosted by the Archieparchy of the Maronite Church, whose Archbishop is His Excellency Mons. Youssef Soueif. He was also appointed president of the Cyprus Justice and Peace Commission, whose formation was announced on 22 February.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development took part in the meeting represented by its Officials Msgr. Bernard Munono and Tebaldo Vinciguerra.
The main themes that emerged during the work are: the future of Europe and its policies; democracy and free speech; greater accountability of finance; the situation of ethnic and religious minorities as well as of nomads and the help that the Church can offer in various cases; the diffusion and application of the Church's social doctrine and more particularly of the encyclical Laudato si '; the protection and promotion of the poorest and most marginalized (access to education, health, legal assistance, economic and material conditions suitable for a dignified life); maritime issues with particular references to the Apostleship of the Sea, the North Pole and the geopolitics of the Mediterranean Sea (the Conference on the common good and the oceans of May 2019 was also recalled in this regard: the Conference was co-organized, among others, by the Dicastery and Justitia et Pax Europe); the processes of reconciliation and peace building. The Document on human brotherhood for world peace signed in Abu Dhabi was considered by many participants as an important tool to strengthen a constructive dialogue between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.
On February 23, the group crossed the buffer zone and visited some Maronite villages located in the northern part of Cyprus (the island has in fact been divided in two since 1974, with a buffer zone protected by the United Nations). These visits were the occasion for moments of prayer. On February 24, the group visited the Caritas Cyprus office.
A few days after the meeting, on the occasion of Lent 2020, Justitia et Pax Europa launched a "concerted action" on the theme of the oceans.