(Brussels) “For over 2 millennia”, the Catholic Church has contributed to the “European construction”, particularly “through its Social Doctrine”. For this reason, the bishops of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) wrote a message to all European citizens in the run-up to the European elections in May. Although “the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon opened an array of new possibilities” ten years ago, the “current mood seems less optimistic”. Which is why there is a need for “political choices” that will foster a “renewed brotherhood”, “relaunching the European project”. It is crucial that “believers and all people of good will” go to the polls and “exercise their rights towards the construction of Europe” without falling “into the temptation of inward looking”. “By making their own political opinion heard”, Europeans can “steer the Union in the direction” they want it to go. Today, there is a need for “a new narrative of hope”, involving “citizens in projects perceived as more inclusive and better serving the common good”, the bishops wrote. It is important that people vote, because “each opinion counts when choosing the persons who will hereto represent our political opinions”. Similarly, after the vote, it is crucial that citizens continue to “democratically monitor and accompany the political process”.