Category Archives: EU member states

Ukraine

Observer to COMECE

Ukraine

The COMECE Assembly welcomed the Latin Church of Ukraine and the Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine as its observer members. The decision followed up their direct request of joining as observer members. Their membership was implemented for the first time during the Assembly Spring meeting held in Nemi (Italy) on 26-28 March 2025. These two Churches now join the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the International Bishops’ Conference … Continue reading »

Austria

Bishop Aegidius Zsifkovics

Bishop of Eisenstadt

Bishop Zsifkovics was born on 16 April 1963 in Güssing (Austria). On June 29, 1987 he was ordained a priest. He worked in the diocese of Eisenstadt as Episcopal Secretary (1987-1988), diocesan chancellor (1992-1999), parish priest in Wulkaprodersdorf (1994-2010) and then as pastoral director of the Croat community (1996-2010), as well as an editor of the Croatian Church newspaper ‘Glasnik’ (1996-2010). He was General Secretary … Continue reading »

Scotland

OBSERVER TO COMECE

Bishop Hugh Gilbert

Bishop of Aberdeen

Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB was born in the south of England on 15 March 1952. He was educated at school and university in London, graduating in History. Baptised as Anglican, he entered the Catholic Church on Christmas Eve 1970. In 1974 he entered the Benedictine monastery of Pluscarden, in the north of Scotland. He made his first profession on 10 March 1976 and was ordained … Continue reading »

England & Wales

Observer to COMECE

Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster

Bishop Nicholas Hudson was born on 14 February 1959 in Hammersmith, United Kingdom. After studies of philosophy and theology at the Venerable English College in Rome, with a Licence in Fundamental Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark in 1986. In 1992, he was appointed Director of the Southwark Christian Education Centre. He then returned to … Continue reading »

Serbia

Observer to COMECE

Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, S.V.D.

Metropolitan Archbishop of Belgrade

Card. Ladislav Nemet, S.V.D., was born in Odžaci, Serbia, on the 7th September, 1956. In May 1983 he was ordained a priest. From 1983 to 1985 he served in Yugoslavia. In 1985, he was sent to Rome for his studies, where in 1987, he received his doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. From 1987 to 1994, he worked as a missionary in … Continue reading »

Switzerland

Observer to COMECE

Bishop Markus Büchel

Bishop of St-Gallen

Born August 9, 1949 in Rüthi (in the Rhine valley, canton of St. Gallen), Mgr. Markus Büchel studied at the Rheineck highschool (St Gallen) and Einsiedeln, where he obtained his maturity in 1970. He studied theology at Fribourg from 1970 to 1975. He was ordained priest in 1976, before being Vicar in two parishes in the city of St. Gallen, then parish priest in Flawil … Continue reading »

Nordic Countries

Vice-President

Bishop Czeslaw Kozon

Bishop of Copenhagen

Bishop Kozon was born on 17 November 1951 in Soendre Taastrup, Denmark, and studied theology and philosophy in Rome. On 6 January 1979, he was ordained a priest and consecrated bishop on 7 May 1995. Since 2015 Bishop Kozon has been President of the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference. Since 2007 he is the COMECE Bishop Delegate from the Episcopates of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom … Continue reading »

Slovenia

President of the Commission on Ethics

Bishop Anton Jamnik

Auxiliary Bishop of Ljubljana

Mgr Anton Jamnik was born in 1961 in Ljubljana. He graduated in 1987 and was ordained priest in the same year. In 1993 he defended his master’s thesis entitled The Sacred between Transcendence and Immanence in Contemporary Slovenian Philosophical Thought at the Department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ljubljana. He continued his doctoral studies and in 1997 completed his … Continue reading »

Poland

President of the Commission on Culture and Education

Bishop Janusz Stepnowski

Bishop of Lomza

Bishop Janusz Stepnowski was born on 11 July 1958 in Ostroleka, Poland. He studied philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary in Lomza from 1979 to 1985. His studies were interrupted for six months by compulsory military service imposed by the communist government. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1985. After his ordination, he was sent to study at the University in Pamplona … Continue reading »

Lithuania

Vice-President

Bishop Rimantas Norvila

Bishop of Vilkaviškis

Bishop Norvila was born on 2 December 1957 in Baptai, Lithuania. Following technical studies, he worked for several years for various companies. He entered the seminary and was ordained a priest on 24 February 1991. After his studies and licentiate in theology in Rome, he was consecrated a Bishop on 29 June 1997. At first Auxiliary Bishop of Kaunas and Titular Bishop of Castrum, since … Continue reading »