The Catholic Church in the European Union
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
Migration and asylum are human rights issues. Frequently, individuals and families leave their places of origin or residence seeking an improvement in their living conditions or simply fleeing violence or war.Commenting on the New Dublin IV Proposal, COMECE and other members of the Christian Group on Migration and Asylum call upon the EU Commission to further develop an asylum system which should be designed and implemented matching and integrating the applicant’s and the Member States’ preferences, needs and potentials in the allocation process.
Mass migration prompted by global conflict and ecological crises has stirred up unresolved fears in European societies. Understanding and responding to this was the central theme of a dialogue seminar that took place on 24 October between churches and the European Commission. Participants in the seminar identified two widely experienced types of fear. The first is the fear of rejection, violence, and exclusion many migrants … Continue reading
The sixteenth edition of the conference on the role of the Catholic Church in the process of European integration co-organised by COMECE together with partners in Cracow, on September 21-22, 2016 focused this time on four specific issues imperatively necessitating solidarity in the EU, namely the solidarity in security and defence policy, solidarity towards the challenges of migrations and asylum, solidarity in reference to the … Continue reading
In view of Pope Francis’ visit to Lesbos on 16 April next, the General Secretary of COMECE, Fr Patrick H.Daly, made the following statement: “At the very outset of his pontificate, in visiting the rocky Italian outpost of Lampedusa, Pope Francis displayed his concern for those many migrants who put their lives at risk in order to seek refuge in Europe. The fate of migrants … Continue reading
“Facing a crisis with many Faces”: this was the title given to a meeting organised by the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) which brought together bishops from the Middle East, southern and western Europe, with Catholic experts from the field, to discuss migration. It was the Bishop of Eisenstadt, Mgr. Agidius Zsifkovics, in his capacity as COMECE co-ordinator on Refugees, … Continue reading
COMECE welcomes in principle the conclusions of the European Council on 17 December 2015 and the concrete steps they entail for the implementation of measures concerning the reception, support and relocation of refugees in the European Union. Nevertheless it is to be regretted that the Member States were not encouraged to take further steps for the integration of the asylum seekers. Ahead of the European … Continue reading
Today the European Commission convened a Dialogue Seminar focused on looking beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis provoked by the recent influx of migrants and refugees on European soil. COMECE, CEC, and CCME gathered experts and Church leaders from across Europe to discuss models of integration, best practices, and the fundamental values that guide integration within the European Union. Welcoming migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees became … Continue reading
