The European Commission hosted this annual summit of religious leaders with European institutions. The Commission's president, José Manuel Barroso, said churches and religious communities are important providers of social services, and it is essential to draw from their wide ranging experience.

Currently 80 million Europeans live in poverty.

One of the European Union-wide objectives is to reduce that number by 20 million by 2020.
Other targets include reducing school drop-out rates to less than 10 percent  and increasing the share of 30-34 years old having completed college to at least 40 percent.

Leaders expressed their support for the Europe 2020 strategy and discussed improving access to the labor market, better targeting of social services and ensuring equal access to education and training.

They emphasized overcoming the current economic crisis will only be possible when people and social justice are at the heart of European policies.

Flaminia Giovanelli, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, was the main Vatican leader at the meeting. She said the difference between rich and poor is “increasingly great and scandalous” and that the Catholic Church is on the side of the poor.

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