The Bishops of the European Union welcome the appointment of Frans van Daele as EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, made public on Wednesday 7 December 2022 by EC Vice-President Margaritis Schinas. Cardinal Hollerich: “We congratulate Mr van Daele and we are ready to cooperate with him. We call on the European Commission to provide adequate resources … Continue reading »

In view of the today’s vote of the European Parliament’s motion for resolution on the persecution of minorities on the grounds of belief or religion, the General Secretary of COMECE, Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, has made the following statement: “The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as well as the inherent right to life are fundamental human rights recognized in international law. They … Continue reading »

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) invites you to join to the event “Targeting vulnerable religious communities through sexual violence and exploitation of women”, to be held online on Wednesday 30thJune 2021 from 11:00 to 12:45 (CEST), together with Aid to the Church in Need (EU office). Jihadist terrorism has shifted the focus of its operations to sub-Saharan and Indian … Continue reading »

In a letter addressed to EC President von der Leyen on Wednesday 2 June 2021, the Bishops of the European Union recall the need of strengthening the EU Special Envoy of Freedom of Religion or Belief with institutional and financial support. Card. Hollerich: “reasonable and adequate resources are needed to promote this fundamental right under threat in many parts of the world.” On behalf of … Continue reading »

The Bishops of the European Union welcome the appointment of Christos Stylianides as EU Special Envoy on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief Outside the EU. Cardinal Hollerich: “We wish him success in this important role of promoting a fundamental right and a core value of the European Union threatened in many parts of the world and we look forward to … Continue reading »

“Converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque distances Turkey from Europe and it is a blow to the Orthodox Church and to interreligious dialogue”, stated Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, on Friday 10 July 2020 commenting the decision of Turkey’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, to allow the change in status of World Heritage Monument Hagia Sophia from a museum to … Continue reading »

In a recent letter sent to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, H.Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, President of COMECE, expressed his solidarity to the Christian communities in the African country, who are “living a situation of continuous attacks by terrorists, insurgents and militias, that in some cases reaches levels of genuine criminal persecution”. In the letter to the Nigerian Bishops, Cardinal Hollerich assured that … Continue reading »