Our church participated in a prestigious meeting in Brussels

On November 17, 2025, a significant meeting of religious leaders took place at the European Commission in Brussels, convened by European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner. The discussion focused on the topic of "How to respond to polarization in society" and brought together representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist communities.

Among the guests was Pavel Pokorný, synodal senior of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. In his speech, he pointed out the roots of polarization and hate speech. He believes that the cause is the growing anxiety of people who perceive the world as an increasingly dangerous and complex place. According to P. Pokorný, people who feel threatened in this way easily and superficially identify with a group that shows strength. "The ongoing conversation is then not an exchange of factual opinions, but merely a demonstration of strength. When we encounter hate speech, it is essential to insist on human dignity—both our own and that of our opponents. It is pointless to argue if it only reinforces entrenched positions. It is good to insist that we are one human family and that we can only solve global problems by joining forces," he emphasized.
Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, President of the Conference of European Churches, called on the European Union to invest more in programs aimed at recognizing hate speech in different languages, as well as in the role of artificial intelligence in this process. According to him, overcoming hatred is not only a legal or technological challenge, but above all a moral and spiritual one.

Bishop Martyn Snow of Leicester pointed out that responsibility for monitoring content on social media lies not only with platforms, states, and the EU, but also with citizens themselves. He cited an example from the UK, where fake news caused unrest, and mentioned a project in Leicester that brought people with different opinions together around one table.
The European meeting in Brussels was part of a long-standing practice based on Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which provides for open, transparent, and regular dialogue between the EU and churches, religious associations, and communities. We consider it a great honor that the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren is among the churches addressed in this way.

text: Conference of European Churches/e-cirkev.cz
photo: EC – Audiovisual Service © European Union, 2025, Lukasz Kobus: „Participation of Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner, to the High-Level Meeting and dialogue with Religious Leaders“, under Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0