Posted: 04 Dec 2020 | Hans Groen
On 19 Octob
er 2020 our honorary chairman Leo Pauwels died at the age of 84. Leo Pauwels has been the driving force behind the European Social Weeks. He worked within the Christian Labour organization ACW in Belgium. Specifically he worked towards a greater presence of the Christian social movement in Europe. He was founder of EZA and took the initiative to the European Social Week which was organized by ACW and MOC in Belgium and the Foundation Christian Social Congress in 1997. Leo remained involved in the consecutive European Social Weeks and at the seminars where we prepared these events. We were happy to welcome him at the last ESW in Milan.
Leo knew how to get things done, and he was a sharp thinker, committed to social justice and in touch with the time. He was blessed with the generous wisdom that comes with age. We will remember him for his contributions to the European Social Weeks; for him it ws clear that the European Socail Week should be Europe-wide and ecumenical. We shall honour him by continuing to keep working in the spirit with which he did his work.