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.Pope Francis issues a vibrant call in favour of Child migrants and several Bishops conferences in Europe have launched statements and initiatives to encourage Christians and political leaders to act. • The Call of Pope Francis More and more children are crossing borders on their own. Child migrants travelling alone are among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse, including by smugglers and … Continue reading
The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) proposed by the EU Commission, despite some positive developments, does not implement the expected higher protection standards in what should be a fair asylum system. This is the assessment formulated by COMECE together with Christian Churches and organisations working in the area of migration & asylum in a response submitted to the EU Commission and the … Continue reading
Two Bishops of COMECE participated in the High-level religious leaders meeting with the EU. This year it was dedicated to the theme “Migration, Integration, European values: from words to action”. COMECE welcomes the open and constructive dialogue which took place on 29 November at the seat of the EU Commission with the Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. The First Vice-President of COMECE, Mgr Jean Kockerols, … Continue reading
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
