French bishops delegation visits the COMECE Secretariat. March 2025. (Photo: COMECE)
A delegation from the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) visited the Secretariat of COMECE on Monday, 10 March 2025, to meet its advisers and receive an update on recent actions taken by COMECE as part of its mission of dialogue with the institutions of the European Union. Photos of the meeting
The visit to the Secretariat provided a valuable opportunity to exchange information on key EU policies relevant to the Church. COMECE General Secretary, Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, along with all advisers of the Secretariat, outlined COMECE’s work within the framework of Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and highlighted some of the most recent examples of COMECE’s tangible impact on the EU legislative process.
“Our work is to provide the EU institutions with technical contributions rooted in the grassroots of the Church. Information, experience, and best practices gathered from the Bishops’ Conferences across the European Union are transformed into technical contributions in our Secretariat and then presented to the institutions of the European Union. These contributions aim to ensure that the policies developed by the EU institutions respect human dignity. Therefore, our goal is to see that principle reflected in EU policies. The stronger COMECE is, the better we can achieve our goal,” said Fr. Barrios Prieto.
The discussion with the CEF delegation focused on the functioning and strategies of COMECE and its impact on the EU policy-making process. Emphasis was placed on the specific role of COMECE as the institution at the disposal of the Catholic Church to promote the common good in the legislative work of the EU institutions through technical contributions.
French bishops delegation visiting the Secretariat of COMECE. March 2025. (Photo: COMECE)
The exchange included an overview of some of the dossiers currently being actively monitored by COMECE, including migration and asylum, GDPR, freedom of religion both within and beyond Europe, peace, artificial intelligence, youth, work and workers’ rights, as well as culture and education.
The French delegation had the opportunity to gain insights into the EU-Church dialogue, as well as the various stages, processes, and contexts in which EU policies can be enriched by contributions developed by COMECE in collaboration with its member Bishops’ Conferences.
Meetings such as this are incredibly valuable for mutually reinforcing synergies between COMECE and local Churches. Study visits of this kind provide COMECE with additional input from the Bishops’ Conferences, while episcopal delegations gain insight into the EU policymaking process, which they can then share with their grassroots and the faithful.
Ahead of their meeting at the COMECE Secretariat, the French bishops held a fruitful series of discussions with representatives of the European Union institutions. Led by H.E. Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, President of the French Episcopate, the delegation was accompanied by H.E. Mgr. Antoine Hérouard, the French bishop delegate to the COMECE Assembly and its First Vice-President.
The full delegation was composed of:
- Éric de Moulins-Beaufort (Archbishop of Reims and President of CEF)
- Vincent Jordy (Archbishop of Tours)
- Bruno Feillet (Bishop of Séez)
- Vincent Dollmann (Archbishop of Cambrais)
- Antoine Hérouard (Archbishop of Dijon and First Vice-President of COMECE)
- Hugues de Woillemont (General Secretary of CEF)
- Céline Reynaud-Fourton (Director of CEF Institutional and International Affairs office)
- Alice de Gentile (CEF Responsible for Institutional Affairs)
We would like to take this opportunity to once again extend a warm invitation to the EU Bishops’ Conferences to visit us throughout the year. These visits serve as valuable occasions for additional dialogue, exchange and collaboration, allowing us to strengthen our shared mission and deepen our engagement with the European institutions.
Photos of the meeting
Website of the French Bishops’ Conference