May 2, 2026
You don’t have to be Catholic or royalist to appreciate the influence of popes and kings in reasserting democratic fundamentals currently under attack from illiberal regimes on both sides of the Atlantic. Pope Francis, who passed away just a year ago, consistently promoted the rule of law, justice, equality and the common good. He became […]
April 25, 2026
The Dutch will go orange-crazy this coming Monday. Canals in Amsterdam will overflow with boats crammed with orange-clad merrymakers. Music will fill streets festooned with orange flags. Children will sell old toys and homemade cakes on pavements everywhere. National television will follow the slow procession of royal family members walking among the crowds and playing […]
April 18, 2026
Freedom – of speech or of worship, from want or from fear – was both celebrated and contested on various fronts this week, reminding us that the battle for freedom demands vigilance from us all. The week began on Sunday with jubilant crowds of Hungarians gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Budapest, dancing […]
April 11, 2026
A quiet, serene image from the lunar space capsule of Planet Earth setting over the moon’s horizon offered a curious relief from the apocalyptic threats of violence emanating from Washington this week. Suspended in the vast blackness, our planet appeared not as a battleground of competing powers, but as a delicate, radiant sphere—fragile yet hospitable […]
April 4, 2026
One of several unsettling aspects of the Easter story for me has always been how the same people who had welcomed Jesus into the city with ‘Hosannas’ could call for his crucifixion just days later. These were religious people. They knew Scripture. They were waiting for the Messiah. They were egged on by religious leaders […]
March 28, 2026
Ever since Constantine in the fourth century, nations and empires have been tempted to define themselves as ‘Christian’. But can a nation or an empire be ‘Christian’? What happens when it claims to be? Constantine’s conversion seemed like a wonderful answer to prayer. Persecution stopped. Christianity became the privileged religion of the Roman Empire. Church […]
March 21, 2026
A 12th century bronze Romanesque copy of a plaque from a church door in Verona, Italy, became a source of inspiration and understanding during our recent trip to Ukraine. The day before Romkje and I left for Ukraine, two weeks ago today, we joined a Benelux gathering of Together for Europe in Aachen, Germany. […]
March 14, 2026
Russia’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine has confronted Ukrainian Christians with some hard moral questions. Halfway through an eight-day visit to Ukraine to encourage YWAM workers and other believers with colleagues Dick and Ulla Brouwer, Romkje and I are being made aware of how much we Europeans are indebted to the sacrifices, the resilience and the […]
March 7, 2026
What does our volatile world most urgently require: re-armament or moral re-armament? Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine under Vladimir Putin has shattered illusions that major war on European soil belonged to the past. Across Europe, defence budgets are rising sharply. Poland is expanding its armed forces at remarkable speed and announced plans this week to […]
February 28, 2026
We are recalibrating in the Schuman Centre. We want to focus more on a question we have often raised but are not yet satisfied with our answers. Robert Schuman was adamant about it. Jacques Delors was insistent about it. And now, Ukraine is making the question unavoidable. What do we mean by ‘the soul of […]
February 21, 2026
This month marks twenty-five years since the first Weekly Word was sent out in February 2001. When this column began, Europe stood at the dawn of a new millennium confident in integration, expanding eastwards, buoyed by peace. Few foresaw financial collapse, populist revolt, pandemic and the return of large-scale war to the continent. To write […]
February 14, 2026
The slogan ‘Never again’ evolved after World War Two rooted in the vow to prevent the recurrence of the Holocaust’s horrors. It has been broadened over time into a universal commitment against racism, discrimination, and violence, while also serving as a call for action in various human rights movements. But with the rise of populist […]
