Hubertus van Megen addresses German Bishops' Conference on Church unity

Apostolic Nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, addressed the autumn plenary assembly of the German Bishops' Conference regarding the foundations of ecclesial unity.

Van Megen identified the Papacy and the Eucharist as the two primary pillars of the Catholic Church’s visible unity. He explained that these elements function in complementary ways: the Pope maintains the unity of faith and ecclesial communion, while the Eucharist sacramentally realizes and nourishes that unity.

He cautioned that without the Petrine ministry and the Eucharist, the Church would risk becoming a mere federation of particular communities or even a “Christian-tinted NGO.” Van Megen emphasized that the Pope’s service is not an end in itself but exists to protect and promote the communion expressed in the Eucharist.