“Leaving the European Union does not mean leaving Europe”. This is the point made by Mgr. Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster (London), in an interview with SIR news agency in the margins of the Plenary Assembly of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) that was recently held in Brussels. One of the items on the agenda was Brexit, which was discussed by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator with the UK. A few weeks ago, 700,000 people took to the streets around Parliament Square in London to ask for a referendum on the final deal, after the referendum in 2016, in which people voted in favour of the UK leaving the EU. “The Church respects the political outcome – Mgr. Hudson said -; British Prime Minister Theresa May has already said that there will not be a second referendum. For our part, we fear that that great heritage of relations, social interactions, trade, human and cultural exchanges that has grown in recent decades may be compromised or put at risk by Brexit. We are vigilant to ensure that this does not happen. The Church will seek to maintain bridges and connections”. “Leaving the European Union – according to Mgr. Hudson and all Catholic Bishops in the UK – does not mean leaving Europe. The role of the Church is also to firmly support dialogue and sharing and to warn against the consequences that Brexit may have for society. The UK and the European Union – the prelate added – will maintain good relations and will continue along a common path. Indeed, we need one another. The European Union’s project is one of peace, and the UK will always play a significant role in the Old Continent, which is why it must be put in a position to contribute to Europe’s development”. “Even if we will no longer have a seat in the EU-27 – the Bishop concluded -, we will continue to seek cooperation in the fields of science, research, and culture. We must continue to build ever more close relations”.