Cardinal Sarah warns EU lawmakers of ‘crisis of the logos’ in Europe-Africa relations
Cardinal Robert Sarah warned EU lawmakers that ambiguous language in Europe-Africa agreements can turn them into tools of power rather than truth. He criticized the use of terms such as “sexual and reproductive health,” “gender equality,” and “human rights” that may not align with African societies’ values, calling for authentic dialogue based on reality. Sarah referenced Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas*, urging policymakers to ground AI and other systems in truth and human oversight to avoid manipulation. The European Parliament session highlighted the need for a partnership grounded in the truth of the human person, family, and peoples, with examples such as the EU’s Global Gateway and Italy’s Mattei Plan.
3 months ago
Cardinal Robert Sarah warned European Parliament members that vague, ideologically‑laden language is turning EU‑Africa cooperation into “instruments of perversion and of silent power,” urging a partnership grounded in truth, justice and human dignity. He linked this “crisis of the logos” to Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI, and highlighted EU programmes such as Global Gateway as models for respectful dialogue. 1 2
Sarah said that today’s EU‑Africa talks often use terms like “sexual and reproductive health,” “gender equality,” and “human rights” in ways that obscure reality and impose concepts many African societies do not share. He argued that when words lose their true meaning, authentic dialogue becomes impossible. 1
Drawing on the May 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Sarah noted that the Pope warns against manipulative language not only in artificial‑intelligence contexts but also in diplomacy. The document calls on policymakers to keep political, economic and technological systems anchored in truth and the dignity of the human person. 2
European Parliament member Paolo Inselvini framed the discussion as an opportunity to recover Europe’s Christian roots and promote “frank, equal dialogue.” Vice‑President Antonella Sberna pointed to the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and Italy’s Mattei Plan, which together aim to mobilise up to €150 billion for infrastructure and investment across Africa. 1 2
Born in Guinea, Sarah became the world’s youngest bishop in 1979, later serving as president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum (2010) and prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship (2014‑2021). He remains a prominent voice on evangelisation, liturgy, religious freedom and the intersection of faith with public life. 1
Sarah’s remarks called for a Europe‑Africa partnership that respects the “transcendent dignity” of individuals, families and peoples, warning that ambiguous terminology threatens genuine cooperation and that truth must guide future agreements. 2
Investigate the Catholic Church’s teachings on truth in international relations
Catholic social teaching treats truth as a moral requirement for building authentic international community, not merely as a neutral or strategic tool. In the Church’s view, truth supports trust, justice, and peace, and it must govern both personal conduct and the legal-moral architecture of international life—especially by resisting deceit, ideological manipulation, and the “law of force.”
The Church grounds the possibility of a “true international community” in the centrality of the human person and the human inclination to relationship. Yet she stresses that unity of the human family is blocked by ideologies that contradict the integral good of persons (materialism and nationalism), including morally unacceptable racism and racial discrimination.
In this context, the Church explicitly names the values that should guide relations among human beings: truth, justice, active solidarity, and freedom.
This matters for international relations because the Church links moral evaluation to how states and peoples coexist. She teaches that relations among peoples and political communities must be justly regulated according to reason, equity, law, and negotiation, while excluding violence and war and also excluding discrimination, intimidation, and deceit. Truth, therefore, is not optional: it is part of the moral criteria for legitimate coexistence.
Catholic teaching does not reduce “truth” to slogans. In fact, the Church describes what promoting moral truth means “in practical terms” for diplomacy and politics:
This triple emphasis—facts, moral critique of ideology, and natural-law grounding of law—is also visible in papal diplomacy teaching. For example, Pope Benedict XVI describes promoting moral truth in diplomacy as:
So, in Catholic teaching, truth in international affairs has both an epistemic dimension (how one knows what is real) and an ethical-juridical dimension (how one orders law to moral reality).
The Church repeatedly connects truth with the moral core of justice and peace.
A key statement from the Holy See’s diplomatic teaching is that “the engagement for the truth is the soul of justice” and that one who is engaged for truth cannot accept the “law of the strongest” that lives on lying and produces tragedies in national and international life.
Here the Church describes lying as often possessing an “apparent truth”—but it is selective and tendentious, oriented to egoistic instrumentalization and ultimately to submission of persons. In contrast, truth and veracity promote recognition of the other, understanding, impartial and equitable comprehension, and sharing, even amid difficulties.
The practical diplomatic lesson follows: even in international relations, the pursuit of truth can promote meeting, recognition, and understanding—the preconditions for reconciliation and peace.
Catholic social teaching emphasizes harmony between the juridical and moral orders. Stability in international life requires respect for principles underlying “a legal structure in conformity with the moral order.”
The Church highlights core international-law principles that flow from natural law, including:
This fidelity is presented as especially important to avoid temptation to use the “law of force rather than the force of law.”
From a truth-in-international-relations perspective, “truth” includes reliability and credibility: if agreements are treated as expendable instruments, international communication collapses into manipulation.
Catholic teaching makes an important refinement: truth must be charitable. Pope Leo XIV teaches that the Holy See’s diplomacy adopts the Gospel’s mercy as a concrete criterion for political action and places itself “in the name of charity and truth,” defending the dignity of every person and speaking up for the poor, migrants, and victims of war.
In a message to diplomats, Pope Leo XIV adds that:
Thus, Catholic truth in international life aims at real human good—and it rejects both cynical manipulation and sentimental relativism.
The Church also analyzes contemporary communication conditions. Pope Leo XIV warns that digital platforms and AI systems can distort communication: they can construct “distorted narratives” and blur boundaries between truth and falsehood by mixing facts with opinions, with disinformation amplified by AI.
He identifies moral and cultural dimensions: the truth of public communication depends on social trust, and distorted communication undermines that trust.
In response, the Church teaches that truth of facts requires verification, cross-checking sources, and responsible argumentation—and that truthful information is not created by centralized or automated control. Rather, truth is “deeply relational,” built through bonds of trust and honest exchange.
This provides a direct Catholic criterion for international relations under media pressure: policies and negotiations need truthful public discourse grounded in verifiability and relational trust, not propaganda or algorithmic manipulation.
Truth in international relations also involves moral discernment.
Pope John Paul II teaches that state independence cannot be separated from interdependence, and because states are interconnected, leaders must be able to distinguish good from evil and “call them by their proper names.”
He then gives two conditions to avoid descending into chaos:
Here, truth is not only “accuracy about facts,” but also moral clarity about what justice requires when drafting or applying international norms.
Catholic teaching presents truth in international relations as:
These principles together form a coherent Catholic vision: international life becomes more stable and peaceful to the extent that truth governs how leaders know reality, speak, negotiate, and bind themselves to law in fidelity to the moral order.