This study considers how the Roman Catholic Church and the broader Catholic community interacts with the European Union (EU). It outlines the organisational form of the most active Catholic bodies, and sets out how they engage with EU policy processes. The empirical analysis draws on original interviews carried out with practitioners. It demonstrates that the relationship between the Catholic community and the EU operates on three levels – on the diplomatic level, on a partly formalised institutional level and on an informal level – and that an appreciation of all three levels is necessary in order to understand how the Catholic community operates in Brussels. Three sets of consequences are presented and these develop understanding of the role of religion in contemporary governance.
Keywords
The Roman Catholic Church, The European Union, lobbying, advocacy, religion, governance.
Reference
Dafydd, E. (2021), ‘Yr Eglwys Gatholig Rufeinig a’r Undeb Ewropeaidd: Crefydd a Llywodraethiant yn yr Unfed Ganrif ar Hugain’, Gwerddon, 32, 26–56. https://doi.org/10.61257/ATOG4153