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#Pontifex: Pope to be awarded Charlemagne Prize

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160429PopeFrancis2His Holiness, Pope Francis, will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize on 6 May. The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is the oldest and best-known prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification. The Pope is the first non-European recipient of the prize since 2000, when the prize was awarded to former US President Bill Clinton.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will join European Parliament President Martin Schulz and European Council President Donald Tusk at the ceremony to award the Charlemagne Prize to His Holiness, Pope Francis. The event takes place in the Sala Regia of the Pope's official residence, where the three Presidents will deliver a joint eulogy. On the eve of the ceremony, Thursday 5 May, President Juncker will take part in a debate on the State of the Union, alongside Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Presidents Schulz and Tusk. Hosted by the board of the Charlemagne Prize, the event will take place at the Capitolini Museum – in the room where the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957.

The Pope has been praised by many groups for his support for refugees, making a high-profile visit to the island of Lesbos and offering asylum to 12 Syrians. The number of asylum seekers welcomed by the Vatican is small, but the gesture is important. With a population of around 1,000 inhabitants, 12 refugees make a relatively high percentage, compared to the numbers resettled in most EU countries. While the catholic church does not have the hold it once had over hearts and minds, over 70% of EU citizens describe themselves as Christian and nearly 50% of EU citizens describe themselves as Catholic.

The Pope has also been prepared to intervene in other conflict areas, especially where conflict has been linked to religion. His intervention in the Central African Republic was  particularly welcome.

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