Category Archives: Press

Migration & Asylum, Policy Areas, Press

News

EU Agenda on Migration: “a significant step forward”

COMECE Secretary General Fr Patrick H. Daly reacts to the publication today of the European Commission’s Communication ‘Agenda on Migration’: ‘COMECE, which has European migration and asylum policies as a central concern, welcomes the concrete proposals issued today by the EU Commission. They represent a significant step forward in tackling the repeated tragedies in the Mediterranean. The proposals formulated by the EU Commission, if adopted … Continue reading »

Press

News

8 May 1945: ‘Remembering the end of the Second World War reminds us of our responsibilities’

Reflecting upon the end of the Second World War, exactly 70 years ago today, 8 May, COMECE President Cardinal Reinhard Marx calls for a sense of collective responsibility and a spirit of service to enable Europe to face its present-day challenges such as the refugee situation and social injustice. “On this day, 8 May, what we remember most of all is the suffering that people … Continue reading »

Migration & Asylum, Policy Areas, Press

Press Release

COMECE President Cardinal Marx: « Europe’s response will be a litmus test for the European values »

Press statement of the President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Reinhard Cardinal Marx, on the tragedy in the Mediterranean. “We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery!” This was the call of Pope Francis to the European States, in his address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 25 November 2014, in which he encouraged “mutual … Continue reading »

Press

Press Release

COMECE Bishops: “We will continue to accompany the European Integration Process in a constructive way”

The COMECE Bishops have discussed the work programme of the new European Commission with President Juncker and Vice-President Timmermans. During their Spring Plenary Assembly from 18 to 20 March 2015 in Brussels, the bishops of COMECE had the opportunity to meet with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and his First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans, and to discuss the work programme of the Commission … Continue reading »

Press

News

COMECE Bishops meet with President Juncker

On the occasion of their Spring Plenary Assembly, the COMECE Bishops were received at the European Commission this 18 March. President Jean-Claude Juncker and the Vice-President of the EU Commission Frans Timmermans received the COMECE Bishops at the Berlaymont for more than an hour of discussion and exchange. Media Photo Gallery

Ethics, Research & Health, Policy Areas, Press

News

Gestational Surrogacy: a frontal assault on fundamental shared EU values

Gestational surrogacy is an issue of increasing preoccupation and concern in contemporary political and legal debate across the European Union. Against that background, the COMECE Working Group on Ethics in Research and Medicine has published an “Opinion on Gestational Surrogacy: the question of European and International Rules” , which is presented today, 23 February, at an event hosted by MEP Miroslav Mikolasik at the European … Continue reading »

Press

Press Release

Meeting between Latvian EU Presidency and Church Representatives

Churches led wide-ranging discussions with the Latvian Presidency team on religious freedom and tolerance, climate change, migration, security strategy and conflict prevention and EU neighbourhood policy. Within a week of taking on the Presidency of the European Council, the Latvian Minister of Justice, Dzintars Rasnačs, received a delegation of representatives from the Christian churches of Europe to discuss the Latvian Presidency agenda. The meeting was … Continue reading »

Press

Press Release

Churches meet with Italian EU Presidency

In the closing days of the Italian EU Presidency, Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentilioni met with a joint delegation of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on 18 December in Rome. Delegates present at the meeting urged the presidency for concrete action on youth unemployment, migration, and freedom of religion and belief. The … Continue reading »

Migration & Asylum, Policy Areas, Press

Press Release

Human trafficking: Churches call on the EU for action on a wider front

An estimated 800,000 women, men, and children are victims of human trafficking within the EU today. Up to 60% of the victims originate from EU states. The EU and its member states urgently need to implement the legal framework already in place and to intensify cooperation with civil society and church organisations that work with victims at the grassroots level. This was one of the … Continue reading »

Press

Press Release

Cardinal Marx: “A Message of Hope and Encouragement”

On the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to the European Parliament the President of the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Reinhard Cardinal Marx, stated: Today’s visit to the European Parliament was the first encounter between the Pope and Europe as a whole. In his speech to the European Parliament, Pope Francis underlined the significance of European integration and the need to … Continue reading »