Increased solidarity can also be attained through a reform of Europe's migration and asylum policies, the bishops explained.
"Christian churches in particular hope that many of those 30,000 which should have been resettled to the EU in 2020 (pledge made at the Global Refugee Forum December 2019) will still arrive in EU member states in the second half of 2020," they stated.
In particular, they recommended the expansion of the EU's refugee resettlement capacities, the efforts to prevent the loss of lives in the Mediterranean Sea, and assistance to address the root causes that drive migration.
The bishops called on the EU to set up a permanent mechanism to monitor and report religious persecution in countries outside of the EU and to promote religious freedom and freedom of conscience globally.
"The EU Guidelines on Freedom on Religion or Belief need to be implemented more consistently, and EU needs to put particular attention on promoting freedom of religion or belief in the world -- not only as a human right, but also as a strategic dimension for democratic freedom and fostering social peace, justice and reconciliation, and foresee a mechanism to reinforce it outside EU," they said.
The bishops' statement offered support for increased use of artificial intelligence within Europe with the caveat that these developments needed to be monitored closely to ensure the protection of human dignity and privacy, including data relating to religious beliefs.
"Progressive digitalization also poses challenges in terms of social justice in Europe. Algorithms are not impartial," the bishops noted.
The bishops said that any temporary erosion of personal data protection and privacy standards due to the pandemic would need to be eliminated at the earliest possible stage.
"Digitalization in innovation, research and education will be key factors regarding European competitiveness and the ability to lead in the transition to a recovered and socially just post-corona digital age which is rooted in a deep ethical responsibility," they said.
Social justice, ecological justice, and contributive justice will be key to grounding the European Union's recovery on "the pillar of justice," according to the statement.
"As regards social justice, the EU should care about and respect the needs of the most vulnerable in order to ensure social cohesion in Europe, combating poverty and inequalities," they stated.
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"This requires an overall budget that is aligned to the political priorities and values of the EU, so that new hope for Europe can be found in a joint recovery, expressing both a renewed spirit of solidarity as well as an ambition to work for a just future."
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.