News

COMECE Bishops to meet with Commission President Barroso

The role of the EU in their pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals will be the principal theme of the Spring Plenary meeting of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences in the European Community from 9-11 March 2005 in Brussels. During the Plenary meeting the Bishops will have an exchange with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

The Bishops will focus on the renewal of the Lisbon Strategy, ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty, and strategic objectives and work programme of the Commission. They will also discuss the EU’s relations with its new neighbours, and its responsibility to the world’s poor. They will go on to discuss the debate on Euthanasia in the Council of Europe. The adoption of major theological document on the process of European integration is expected.

The Bishops will hear keynote speeches from the following guest speakers:
• Mr Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid
• Mr Klaus Regling, Director General of the Economic and Financial Affairs Directorate General of the European Commission-
• Mr Pierre Defraigne, Deputy Director General of the European Commission and Director of the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI)
Please note that journalists are invited to attend an

EVENING DEBATE AND RECEPTION
to celebrate COMECE’s 25th Anniversary
At 19:30 on Thursday 10 March 2005
At the Hotel Eurovillage, 80 Boulevard Charlemagne, 1000 Brussels

“You, the Church in Europe, what place do you take You in public life?

Speakers:
H.E. Cardinal Péter Erdö Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary;
Mr. Stefan Wilkanowicz, Chairman of the Christian Culture Foundation ‘ZNAK’, Poland; and
Sister Gisela Happ, osb, Secretary General of the Alliance for International
Monasticism (AIM), France

Journalists are particularly invited to attend a

PRESS CONFERENCE
At 14:00 on Friday 11 March 2005
at the Hôtel Eurovillage, 80 Boulevard Charlemagne, 1000 Brussels

Bishop Em. Josef HOMEYER of Hildesheim (Germany), President of COMECE,
Bishop Adrianus van LUYN of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Vice-President,
Archbishop Hippolyte SIMON of Clermont (France), Vice-President, and
Bishop Vaclav Maly of Prague

will present the conclusions of the Plenary Meeting.

COMECE is a Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the member states of the European Union.

The following bishops will participate in the Plenary Meeting on behalf of their Bishops’ Conferences: Bishop Josef Homeyer (Germany); Bishop Adrianus van Luyn (The Netherlands); Archbishop Hippolyte Simon (France); Bishop John Crowley (England & Wales); Bishop Jozef De Kesel (Belgium); Bishop Teodoro De Faria (Portugal); Archbishop Fernand Franck (Luxembourg); Bishop Piotr Jarecki (Poland); Bishop Anton Justs (Latvia); Bishop Vaclav Maly (Czech Republic); Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (Ireland); Archbishop Joseph Mercieca(Malta); Bishop Giuseppe Merisi (Italy); Bishop Peter Moran (Scotland); Bishop Rimantas Norvila (Lithuania); Bishop Frantisek Rábek (Slovakia); Archbishop Ioannis Spiteris (Greece); Bishop Anton Stres (Slovenia); Bishop András Veres (Hungary); and Archbishop Elias Yanes Alvarez (Spain).

The following bishops have observer status: Bishop Virgil Bercea (Romania); Cardinal Josip Bosanic (Croatia); and Bishop Christo Proykov (Bulgaria).