The Catholic Church in the European Union
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
COMECE received Patriarch Gregorios III, the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic church, as well as Metropolitan George Abou Zakhem of Homs and Bishop Selvanos Boutros Al Nemeh of Homs of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate. The Bishop’s delegation came to Brussels to draw attention of EU high-ranking officials on Children’s situation in Syria.
COMECE welcomes the ratification by the European Union of the climate agreement signed last year in Paris. Following the deposit of the instruments of ratification to the United Nations on Friday in New York, the climate agreement can now enter into force. This raises hopes that the international community will be able to act quickly and responsibly in the fight against climate change. Now that … 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
On wed 7 September, about 400 participants took part at the church of Notre-Dame au Sablon, Brussels, in the Mass for Europe which was organised by COMECE on the occasion of the resumption of work by the European institutions. The Mass was presided by Bishop Jozef De Kesel, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and concelebrated by Mgr Jozef Hal’ko, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bratislava together … Continue reading
Ahead of the expected vote in the European Parliament in October, the Secretariat of COMECE welcomes the ratification by China and the United States of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The ratification by these two states, given their economic weight and their environmental impact, represents a significant step in the right direction. In an appeal addressed to the COP 21 negotiating parties in October … Continue reading
Regarding the recent debate around the pursuit of the TTIP negotiations, Cardinal Marx, the President of COMECE, said that “stopping the TTIP negotiations would not solve the current problems. A just global economic order requires common rules. The TTIP could be a way to achieve this goal”. COMECE reminds of the common position adopted last June by the Bishops of the EU and the US. … Continue reading
The Secretariat of COMECE takes note of the recent decision of the European Commission to deal with tax optimization for multinational companies in terms of competition policy. The COMECE Secretariat will closely monitor the implementation of this approach in all Member States. In a context of growing poverty in Europe, many citizens regard practices that enable multinational companies to pay little or no tax on … Continue reading
Brother Olivier Poquillon OP commences his work as General Secretary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) this Thursday, 1 September. Brother Olivier Poquillon OP was born in Paris in 1966. After studies in international law, he entered the novitiate of the Dominicans in 1994 and was ordained priest in 2001. Among other assignments, he served as an expert of the … Continue reading
Statement of COMECE President Cardinal Reinhard Marx on the attack in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, France (26 July 2016): “The assassination in the French Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray is shocking. The faithful who had gathered for worship in a church became victims of a terrible act of violence. The intention of this act was to stir up hatred between religions. We will resist and will not let ourselves be led into … Continue reading
Statement of the President of COMECE, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, following the terror attack in Nice: “Last night, France has again been hit by a terrorist attack. More than 80 people were killed. We are shocked and saddened by this act of war. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their relatives and friends. I remain convinced that European civilization and the culture of freedom, … Continue reading