The speech, which received a standing ovation, focused on the shared bonds between Europe and the United States and took a decidedly different approach to JD Vance’s speech the year before, which berated attendees.
Throughout the speech, Rubio seemed earnest in presenting a shared heritage between Europe and the United States, stating: “For the United States and Europe, we belong together,” and pointing out that “America was founded 250 years ago, but the roots began here on this continent long before.”
He also acknowledged the great gifts of European culture, highlighting the “genius of Mozart and Beethoven, of Dante and Shakespeare, of Michelangelo and Da Vinci, of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones”.
Pointing towards disagreements in foreign policy which have shaped much of the European-American discourse recently, Rubio explained that “if at times we disagree, our disagreements come from our profound sense of concern about a Europe with which we are connected,” adding that “we are connected spiritually and we are connected culturally”.
Further clarifying American interest in the continent, Rubio stated: “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive, because the two great wars of the last century serve for us as history’s constant reminder that ultimately, our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours, because we know that the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own.”
His speech also served as an opportunity to encourage greater confidence in Europe. He stated that the US had no interest in being part of the “West’s managed decline” and encouraged Europeans not to be “shackled by guilt and shame” but to be “proud of their culture and of their heritage”.
Throughout the speech, Rubio made frequent references to Christianity, explaining that America and Europe are shaped by centuries of “Christian faith” and lauding the “vaulted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel and the towering spires of the great cathedral in Cologne” that testify to “a faith in God that inspired these marvels”.
Commenting on the speech, Bishop Barron said that it “addressed a number of particular political issues,” but what stood out to him was “his stress on the common culture that unites Europe and America.”
He highlighted how the speech correctly identified that “culture is grounded ultimately in the Christian faith” and praised the underlying narrative of the speech as “the conviction that Europe and America will truly flourish when each re-discovers its spiritual mooring.”
Bishop Barron, founder of Word on Fire and bishop of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester, has become well known for his ability to engage wider audiences with Christianity through commentary which points to deeper spiritual realities in culture at large. He is a well known champion of Christian and western civilisation and is considered an authority on the philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas.
Whilst, like most Catholic clergy, he has not endorsed any particular political party or politician, Bishop Barron has been appointed to President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. Commending the president for his proactive work, Bishop Barron wrote: “More than any other president in my lifetime, Trump has recognised the central importance of our ‘first freedom.’”
His praise for Marco Rubio will likely be appreciated by the Secretary of State. The devout Catholic has described the Eucharist as the “sacramental point of contact between the Catholic and the liturgy of heaven” and is an active member of his parish, the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida.
Praise from one of America’s most recognisable bishops will likely serve as encouragement in his political endeavours.