24 February 2024
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🔴 WAR IN UKRAINE | Mgr. Crociata: "We must hope that the diplomatic initiative unfolds in all directions and with the full breadth it can muster"
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24/02 - On the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of Russia's brutal military attack against Ukraine, the President of COMECE, H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, speaks with the press, sharing his concerns and making an appeal for peace.
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"The European Union has moved together since the beginning, although along the way, its unity has shown cracks. We must hope that the diplomatic initiative unfolds in all directions and with the full breadth it can muster", he said speaking with AgenSIR. "This war - he adds - is also a test for the European Union for at least two reasons: for the test of unity it demands and for the threat that suggests on the horizon".
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📰 Interview in English (available on Tuesday)
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ARTICLE 17 DIALOGUE | Austrian Bishop Zsifkovics visits Brussels for a series of meetings with EU representatives
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21/02 - In a series of official meetings with high representatives of the EU institutions, H.E. Mgr. Aegidius Zsifkovics, Bishop of Eisenstadt and delegate of the Austrian Episcopal Conference to COMECE, addressed some of the most pressing issues for Europe and the Catholic Church and the challenges in the upcoming EU elections.
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Mgr. Zsifkovics was received by Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner on Budget and Administration, and MEP Othmar Karas, First Vice-President of the European Parliament and EP responsible for Article 17 TFEU. The Bishop of Eisenstadt also met with other Members of the European Parliament, including the Austrian Lukas Mandl, and with the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, H.E. Mgr. Noel Treanor.
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The meetings took place in the context of an official trip to Brussels (19-21 February). The meetings were facilitated by COMECE. The Bishop was accompanied by a group of journalists from the Austrian press.
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VIDEO | “Economy should serve humanity and promote the dignity of every person”, says COMECE at EP conference on Social Market Economy
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21/02 - “The purpose of the economy is to serve humanity, not the other way around. It should promote the dignity of every person,” stated Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, during the conference ‘A Social Market Economy that Cares’, hosted by the EPP Group at the European Parliament on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.
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He appealed to the EU and its Member States to ensure that policy responses to the challenges in the world of work are grounded in principles such as fair wages, protection of workers, work-life balance, security at work, and the right to affiliation with workers’ unions.
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NEWS | “Winning the battle against human trafficking is possible!”
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16/02 - COMECE and the Santa Marta Group held a conference at the European Parliament highlighting the positive contribution that Churches and faith-based organisation give to the fight against human trafficking, protecting victims and making perpetrators accountable. COMECE: “Human trafficking is not an inevitable crime. The long-term commitment of all social, economic, religious, cultural and political actors can lead to winning this battle!”
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SPEECH | President of COMECE on the protection and promotion of the sea
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16/02 - The President of COMECE, H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, explored humanity's relationship with the sea at the conference 'Sorella acqua - Il mare, il mito, lo sviluppo. Risorse da tutelare e territori da promuovere per anticipare il futuro', held in Latina (Italy).
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Mgr. Crociata explored this crucial relationship and its intersections with politics, culture, dialogue, and economy, calling on all of us to protect and promote the sea.
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NEWS | Apostolic Nuncio to the EU met with EU Commissioner McGuinness
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20/02 - Mairead McGuinness, EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability, and Capital Markets Union, met with H.E. Mgr. Noel Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union. According to a tweet published by the Commissioner, the meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on current EU affairs. Discussions focused on future challenges, the upcoming European Parliament elections, and rising geopolitical tensions.
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CHRISTIAN HERITAGE | The 'Blue Church' of Saint Elisabeth
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20/01 - COMECE's monthly column on the Christian Heritage in the Europen Union presents the Church of Saint Elisabeth, the 20th-century "blue church" in the Archdiocese of Bratislava (Slovakia). The church has become a sightseeing attraction due to its unconventional colour, but it also reminds both faithful and tourists of the generosity of Saint Elisabeth and the devotion of the people of Bratislava to the Hungarian Saint.
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NEWS | What is the role of the EU in a new architecture of peace?
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20/02 - COMECE Adviser Marek Mišák contributed to the Symposium on "Challenges of Russia's War against Ukraine and the Ethical Principles of Sustainable Peace in Europe", held last week in Munich (Germany). He highlighted the role of the EU in a new architecture of peace.
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INTERVIEW | Justice & Peace Europe Presidents Discuss Lviv Journey with Vatican News
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15/02 - Archbishop Antoine Hérouard and Maria Hammershoy, Co-Presidents of Justice and Peace Europe visited Lviv (Ukraine) responding to the invitation of Yuriy Pidlisny from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Speaking with Vatican News, Mgr. Hérouard (President) and Stefan Lunte (General Secretary) shared insights into what they witnessed in the war-torn country.
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OPPORTUNITY | Web Academy on the ecological challenge
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30/01 - The University Institute Sophia Web Academy organises the interdisciplinary course “The ecological challenge–Towards a new person-nature pact”. The course consists of 7 classes held in English to present the environmental problem as the result of an anthropological crisis.
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Next at COMECE
23-25 February
Adviser Emilio Dogliani will participate in the Congress on Catholic Education to be held in Madrid, Spain.
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26 February
COMECE will host the yearly meeting of the Brussels-based Catholic organisations working with the EU institutions.
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28 February
Adviser Alessandro Calcagno will participate in and contribute to the final conference "Shield Project" dedicated to the protection of places of worship in Europe.
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29 February-1 March
H.E. Mgr. Theodorus C.M. Hoogenboom will preside over the COMECE Legal Affairs Commission. On this occasion, the members of the Commission will also visit the EU Court of Justice, Luxembourg, and exchange with some of its judges.
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3 March
A group of young people from the Fondazione Regina Pacis (FRP) will visit the Secretariat of COMECE to learn more about COMECE's mission of dialogue with the EU institutions.
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7 March
Monthly meeting of the COMECE Standing Committee. The meeting will be presided over by H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata.
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