Board member of ECPYouth, Jonathan de Koeijer, welcomed the audience on behalf of ECPP. He presented ECPP as one of the 12 European political parties and introduced its Members of the European Parliament. “ECPP is the only European political party that explicitly promotes Christian values and conducts politics based on the teachings of Jesus,” he said. De Koeijer highlighted reconciliation as closely connected to relational thinking, a fundamental principle of ECPP’s political vision. As God is trinitarian and therefore relational, human beings are likewise called to have just and right relationships with one another, with businesses, and with the environment. Healthy relationships between people is the underlying theme and ultimate goal of political and economic systems, making reconciliation of paramount importance to achieving this vision.

Furthermore, De Koeijer stressed the need for Christians to engage in politics and highlighted how ECPP and ECPYouth seek “to equip, inspire, and empower Christian voices in politics across the European Union,” providing Christian politicians and young people with the knowledge and resources to engage in their societies.

Camilla Bocănială, founder and programme director of the Polylogos Association, reflected on reconciliation as a deliberate and ongoing process rooted in forgiveness. She described it as a voluntary and mutual movement towards restoring relationships, requiring commitment from all parties involved. Bocănială highlighted several barriers to reconciliation, including power imbalances, a lack of mutual willingness, and the tendency of wealthy communities to overlook those who are marginalised or left behind. She stressed that reconciliation matters precisely because conflict is so prevalent yet often avoided. “We prefer to be peacekeepers rather than peacemakers,” she noted, emphasising that peace-making requires stepping into conflict rather than retreating from it. Drawing on the example of Jesus, she encouraged participants to move beyond their comfort zones, listen deeply, and be willing to change perspectives through genuine encounter.

Julia Doxat Purser, Socio-Political Representative of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), approached reconciliation through the lens of Christian vocation. She described reconciliation as “making things bright where there is tension” and reminded the audience that Jesus’ ministry was fundamentally about restoring broken relationships. Doxat Purser noted that reconciliation does not require agreement, but rather recognition of the shared dignity of all people made in the image of God. Drawing on her experience as a lobbyist, she spoke candidly about facing hostility and backlash, recalling Jesus’ call to “love your enemies” as a guiding principle. She also reflected on the polarisation revealed by the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, stressing the importance of seeking to understand why people make the choices they do, even when their reasoning differs sharply from one’s own.

In discussing reconciliation at the community level, Doxat Purser emphasised humility and the spirit of the Beatitudes as essential foundation. She argued that reconciliation becomes impossible when we approach others with a sense of superiority or certainty that we have nothing to learn. Sharing a personal encounter with a Palestinian father who had lost his child, she illustrated the importance of presence, compassion, and shared grief, even when words are inadequate. True reconciliation, she concluded, often begins with listening, grieving with others, and walking humbly alongside them.