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20-22 June - The Presidency of COMECE was received by Pope Francis to discuss the most pressing European and global topics. Pope Francis, in particular, stressed the need to promote dialogue, unity, and solidarity, calling on COMECE to make efforts to stimulate the European Union's capacity to express itself in the international arena with a positive contribution to world peace.
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In this context, the COMECE Presidency also met with H.Em. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and H.E. Mgr. Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, to discuss COMECE's mission of dialogue with the institutions of the European Union, especially in light of the recent EU elections and the new political landscape.
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The Presidency of COMECE also met with H.Em. Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; H.Em. Card. Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for Oriental Churches; and Her Excellency Alexandra Valkenburg, EU Ambassador to the Holy See.
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NEWS | COMECE congratulates Roberta Metsola on her reelection as President of the European Parliament
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16 July - COMECE warmly congratulated Roberta Metsola on her reelection as President of the European Parliament. "We look forward to continuing and strengthening our dialogue based on Article 17 TFEU, bringing EU institutions closer to citizens and promoting policies centered on human dignity", stated the Secretariat of COMECE in a tweet.
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HUNGARIAN EU PRESIDENCY | European Churches meet with Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén
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24 June - An ecumenical delegation representing the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) met with Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in Budapest, to discuss their concerns and perspectives in view of the incoming Hungarian EU Presidency.
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NEWS | COMECE-CEC Ecumenical delegation received by Apostolic Nuncio Mgr. Banach
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25 June - During its journey in Budapest, the COMECE-CEC ecumenical delegation was received by H.E. Mgr. Michael Banach, Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary, who hosted the group with warm and sincere fraternity.
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The group also met with the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary to discuss major religious, political, and social challenges currently faced in Europe and to explore ways to deepen ecumenical collaboration.
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While in Budapest, the COMECE representatives were also received by H.Em. Card. Péter Erdő. COMECE is extremely thankful to the Apostolic Nuncio, the entire Catholic Hungarian Bishops' Conference, particularly its General Secretary H.E. Mgr. Tamás Tóth, and the ecumenical partners for their generosity. In the photo above: a family photo of the delegation at the Apostolic Nunciature.
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HUNGARIAN EU PRESIDENCY | European Churches meet with Hungarian Ambassador Ódor Bálint
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15/06 - Following our recent meeting with Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024 in Budapest, COMECE and CEC are glad to have met Ambassador Ódor Bálint and discussed issues of shared concern, including peace and Human Development, among others. As with every EU Presidency, we look forward to implementing and further strengthening Article 17 TFEU Dialogue.
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VIDEO | Mgr. Crociata analyses the 2024 EU election results and addresses issues including migration and the war in Ukraine
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1 July - H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, President of COMECE, was hosted by EWTN Italia to discuss the results of the 2024 elections of the European Parliament, as well as some of the most pressing EU political and social issues, including migration and the war in Ukraine. Mgr. Crociata also shared insights on Church initiatives to address these international challenges.
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DOCUMENT | COMECE Youth Net annual contribution on digitalisation and family
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5 July - COMECE released the 2023-2024 annual contribution of the COMECE Youth Net. The document contains recommendations to the EU and stresses the importance of prioritising family values and Christian ethics in the digital age.
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NEWS | The COMECE Commission on Culture and Education holds its spring meeting in Brussels
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14 June - The COMECE Commission on Culture and Education met with officials from the European Commission and civil society to exchange on the issues affecting teachers in the EU, the latest PISA results and their implications for the Member States, as well as on the current and future orientations of religious heritage policies. The meeting was presided over by H.E. Mgr. Janusz Stepnowski.
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NEWS | Director of Don Bosco Tech Africa visits COMECE
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19 June - Fr. Maximus Okoro, Director of Don Bosco Tech Africa visited the Secretariat of COMECE, sharing valuable insights into DBTA's remarkable efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, promoting technical and vocational education, and empowering youth through dialogue and values-based learning. The visit was faciliated by Don Bosco International.
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NEWS | Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State blesses CCEE new Secretariat in Rome
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25 June - Warm congratulations to the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE) on the inauguration of the new Secretariat in Rome. H.Em. Card. Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, blessed CCEE's new venue and highlighted the importance of the collaboration between COMECE and CCEE in a spirit of fraternal communion, while emphasising their different vocations and functions.
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NEWS | COMECE congratulates Fr. Antonio Ammirati on his election as General Secretary of CCEE
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27 June - During the Assembly of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE) held in Belgrade, Serbia, at the end of June, Fr. Antonio Ammirati was elected General Secretary of CCEE. He succeeds Fr. Martin Michaliček. COMECE General Secretary Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto thanked Fr. Michaliček for the "great work accomplished for the Church in Europe over the past few years" and congratulated Fr. Ammirati on his election, "looking forward to continuing to work together and maintaining the excellent collaboration between COMECE and CCEE".
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NEWS | CEC new General Secretary Rev. Fischbach visits COMECE Secretariat
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4 July - It was a great pleasure to meet with Rev. Frank-Dieter Fischbach, the new General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)! He was received by Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto. Together they exchanged on ways to "maintain and increase the good collaboration between the two organisations".
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NEWS | Mass for Europe celebrated in Brussels to mark the start of the Hungarian EU Presidency
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1 July - In the context of the start of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a Mass for Europe was celebrated at the Saints Michel et Gudule Cathedral in Brussels (Belgium) on Monday, 1 July 2024.
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The Holy Mass will be celebrated H.E. Mgr. Luc Terlinden, Archbishop of Brussels-Mechelen and President of the Belgian Bishops’ Conference, and co-celebrated by H.E. Mgr. Noël Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union; H.E. Mgr. Gábor Mohos, Auxiliary Bishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Hungaryan Bishop-Delegate to the COMECE Assembly; and Fr. Benoît Lobet, Dean of the Cathedral of Brussels.
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The homily will be offered by H.E. Mgr. Gábor Mohos. High-level Hungarian and European political authorities participated in the mass, including Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary.
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NEWS | Working for a more people-centred and fair Europe-Africa partnership
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2 July - Together with religious and faith-based organisations from Europe and Africa, COMECE representatives discussed concrete ways of putting into practice a more people-centred and fair EU-AU partnership, with contributions from FBOs as key partners for human development and peace.
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NEWS | COMECE and UFV sign a formal collaboration agreement on developing formation programs for future EU leaders
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2 July - COMECE and the University Francisco de Vitoria (UFV) have signed a formal agreement to collaborate on developing programs for the formation of European leaders, among which a European Summer School and an upcoming Global Leadership Programme.
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NEWS | COMECE advisers participate in the 2024 European Summer School by the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
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16/07 - COMECE advisers José Luis Bazán and Marek Misak participated in the 2024 European Summer School held in Spain by the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, sharing insights on EU political processes and discussing with students the EU's founding vision, values, significance for peace in Europe and globally.
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NEWS | Mgr. Overbeck on the results of the EU elections and the war in Ukraine
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10 July - The German Bishop-Delegate to the COMECE Assembly H.E. Mgr. Franz-Josef Overbeck attended an event on post-election challenges in Europe at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU, in Brussels. He highlighted the role of politics and society, especially Churches, in enhancing EU cohesion.
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Commenting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he stated: "The war in Ukraine is symbolic of a system war, of the question of whether we in the EU defend democracy or whether we orient ourselves towards autocratic systems. This is first and foremost a question of freedom."
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VIDEO | Mgr. Crociata on the new political settings in the EU following elections of the European Parliament
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27 May - Following the 2024 EU elections, H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, President of COMECE, was featured on Telepace TV's program "Pagine Aperte." He discussed the main results and trends in the vote, the new political settings in the European Union, and the role of COMECE. The video interview is in Italian. Watch the video-interview
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VIDEO | COMECE General Secretary on challenges and opportunities posed by AI
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7 June - We invite you to watch the full video recording of the course on the challenges and opportunities posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), organised by Fundación Pablo VI and the Spanish Bishops' Conference, featuring a contribution by COMECE General Secretary Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto. Language: Spanish. Watch the video
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Christian ARTworks | The Church of Saint Ansgar
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17 July - This month, our ‘Christian Heritage month by month’ column presents the church of Saint Ansgar, with its rich history of resilience and neoclassical architecture, cathedral of the Diocese of Copenhagen, in Denmark.
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Christian ARTworks | Wooden church of Lioliai (Lithuania)
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26 June - In June 2024, COMECE's column ‘Christian Heritage month by month’ explored the wooden church of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddeus the Apostles in Lioliai, Diocese of Šiauliai, in Lithuania.
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VIDEO | Webinar on “The geopolitics of Higher Education” is now available
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18 June - The video recording of the international conference “The geopolitics of Higher Education” held on Wednesday, 12 June 2024, is now publicly available for viewing on the COMECE YouTube channel.
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STATEMENT | COMECE Secretariat comments on preliminary 2024 EU election results
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10 June - Following the 2024 elections of the European Parliament, the Secretariat of COMECE issued the following comment on the election’s preliminary results. "The results of these elections urge all of us, especially the newly elected MEPs and the future Commissioners, to work to reduce the perceived gaping between the European Union and its citizens and to give adequate answers to their real concerns."
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NEWS | Evening discussing challenges, risks and opportunity of Artificial Intelligence
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13 July - COMECE, the Chapel for Europe and the European Evangelical Alliance held an evening of debate on Artificial Intelligence. The evening also included the screening of the documentary 'The End of Humanity,' by A. Dürr and J. Furer.
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EVENT | ELSiA Conference "Water - Too Much, Too Little" to be held in October 2024. Registration Now Open
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15 July - On the occasion of the end of the 2024 Season of Creation, the European Laudato Si' Alliance (ELSiA) organises the conference "Water - too much, too little", to be held in Brussels, Belgium, on 2-3 October 2024. Participation in the event is limited to a maximum of 100 people. Registration is mandatory. Deadline: 24 September.
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VIDEO | Apostolic Administration of Estonia celebrates its 100th anniversary. It is the oldest in Europe
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11 June - The Apostolic Administration of Estonia will celebrate its 100th anniversary in Tallinn on November 2-3 2024. It is the oldest administration in Europe. We are happy to share this video documentary on the Catholic Church in Estonia and its activities.
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NEWS | Apostolic Nuncio to the EU unveils a plaque dedicated to Venerable Robert Schuman
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15 June - H.E. Mgr. Noel Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, unveiled a plaque dedicated to Venerable Robert Schuman, who in 1950 participated in a conference in Luxeuil, France, to mark the 1,400th anniversary of the birth of Irish Saint Columbanus. (Photo: Sarah R Mac Donald)
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Next at COMECE
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Our external communications will resume in August 2024.
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