The Catholic Church in the European Union
Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
Today the COMECE Executive Committee issues a statement in view of Europe Day (9 May 2006) in which they welcome the reflection on the future of Europe and the positive elements of Plan D of the European Commission whilst calling for renewed efforts to revive the debate on the future of Europe. In welcoming the initiatives to reflect upon the future of the European Union, … Continue reading
During their spring plenary the COMECE Bishops adopted initiatives designed to promote intercultural dialogue including its inter-religious dimension. These initiatives were presented to the Austrian EU Presidency during the COMECE plenary, which was held from 22-24 March 2006 in Brussels. Mr Hans WINKLER, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Austrian Government, was presented with COMECE’s initiatives to promote intercultural dialogue by the then COMECE … Continue reading
Strengthening intercultural and inter-religious dialogue will be the main focus of the forthcoming COMECE Bishops’ plenary meeting in response to the unfortunate and unsettling fallout between the EU and the Muslim world following the publication of cartoons caricaturing the prophet Mohammed. The plenary will take place from 22-24 March 2006 in Brussels. The Bishops will reflect upon and analyse the political and societal consequences following … Continue reading
Today during a dialogue seminar entitled “Global Governance: where we stand” co-organised with the European Policy Centre (EPC), COMECE launched its “Global Governance Assessment 2005 – One More Step On A Long Way To Go” before a panel of experts at the Residence Palace, Brussels. Co-hosting the event with the EPC as part of their EU and Global Governance programme, the dialogue seminar drew together … Continue reading
In order for the EU to seriously communicate locally with European citizens, then it should not overlook the Churches’ capacity to act as an interlocutor. This was the principle message from the Bishops of COMECE at their Autumn Plenary Meeting held from 16-18 November 2005 in Brussels. Mindful that this plenary takes place at a time when the European Union is experiencing profound uncertainties as … Continue reading
In the context of the Lisbon Strategy the member states have agreed to significantly increase expenditure for research and development by the year 2010. The EU’s institutions are currently in the process of adopting the 7th Research Framework Programme and its complementary specific research programmes. • Support for research We Bishops of COMECE strongly support the plan to give more support to research and development. … Continue reading
The fortieth anniversary of Vatican II and the lessons that the Church in Europe can take from it in order to address the current crisis in the European Union will provide the main themes for debate during the autumn Plenary Meeting of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) from 16-18 November 2005 in Brussels. The bishops will consider the legacy … Continue reading
In light of the flagrant human rights abuses at Ceuta and Melilla, six Churches and Christian organisations have written to the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which meets on 12 October, to demand that the European Union lives up to the rhetoric it espouses on human rights and concretises them within its migration and asylum policy. In this letter these six organisations working in the … Continue reading
At the first meeting of its kind, bishops from the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) and from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) came together to reflect upon some of the world’s major problems within the context of the transatlantic relationship. The meeting took place from 21-23 September 2005 in Brussels. “We are here to foster better understanding … Continue reading
Bishop Josef Homeyer, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), today sent a letter to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, President-in-Office of the European Council, to the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and to the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, alerting them to the imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan Vraniskovski of Ochrid … Continue reading