Commission Of The Bishops' Conferences Of The European Community
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The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, formerly the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, ( la, Commissio Episcopatuum Communitatis Europaeae; COMECE) is the association of
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
episcopal conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...
s in member states of the European Union (EU) which officially represents those episcopal conferences at EU institutions. COMECE holds two meetings of the Plenary Assembly each year, which set out the main lines of its work. The Apostolic Nuncio to the European Communities participates in these meetings. A seminal issue of the European integration process provides the core theme of each meeting. COMECE bishops are delegated by Catholic episcopal conferences in EU member states and has a permanent
Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...
in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium. It was established in 1980 and replaced the European Catholic Pastoral Information Service (SIPECA, 1976–1980). Discussions during the 1970s about creating an episcopal conferences' liaison organization to the
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
led to the decision, on the eve of the 1979 European Parliament election, to establish .


Objectives

The objectives of COMECE are to: *monitor EU "political processes" and "legal developments" *communicate "opinions and views" about "
European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
in the light of"
Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state (polity), state, subsidiarity, social o ...
*communicate "concerns and opinions" of bishops about "the construction of a peaceful and prosperous Europe for all" to EU institutions *offer "the co-operation and the service of the Church" to EU institutions *respond to "questions and problems" of EU institutions *maintain "transparent and regular dialogue with the EU Institutions" *"inform and raise awareness among" episcopal conferences in EU member states and Catholics about topics of "common interest dealt with by the different institutions of the EU" *assist episcopal conferences in EU member states with understanding "the challenges posed by" European integration *"foster collegiality" between episcopal conferences in EU member states "in developing specific actions" with respect to European "social and ethical problems" COMECE issues news bulletins and reports in the following "policy areas": Ecology, Energy & Agriculture; Ethics, Research & Health; EU External Affairs; Education & Culture; Justice, Fundamental Rights & Article 17 TFEU; Migration & Asylum; International Religious Freedom; Social & Economic Affairs; and Youth Policies.


Organisation

COMECE's is managed by a standing committee of five, the president, currently Bishop
Mariano Crociata Mariano Crociata (born 16 March 1953) has been bishop of the Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno since 19 November 2013. He was previously the Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), the first to come from a southern ...
of Latina, Italy, first vice president Archbishop
Antoine Hérouard Antoine is a French language, French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton (name), Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West ...
of Dijon, France, and three vice presidents: Bishops
Nuno Brás da Silva Martins Nuno can refer to *Nuno (given name) :*Nuno Espirito Santo, football manager :*Nuno Tavares, football player *Nuño (given name) *Nuno felting, a fabric felting technique *'' Nuno'', meaning "ancestor" in Philippine languages, usually in reference ...
of Funchal, Portugal,
Rimantas Norvila Rimantas (shortened as Rimas) is a masculine Lithuanian given name. The feminine form of the name is Rimantė. Notable people with the name include: * Rimantas Astrauskas (b. 1955), physicist, ecologist, and signatory of the 1990 Act * Rimantas J ...
of Vilkaviškis, Lithuania, and
Czeslaw Kozon Czeslaw Kozon (; la, Ceslaus; born 17 November 1951, Idestrup, Falster, Denmark) is the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Copenhagen. His parents were emigres from Communist Poland. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Copenhagen ...
of Copenhagen, Denmark. The official who runs the office on a day-to-day basis is the General Secretary, currently Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto. The General Secretary is appointed for a three-year term renewable term. Its standing committees include: Commission on Social Affairs; Legal Affairs Commission; Commission on EU External Relations; Working Group on Migration and Asylum; Working Group on Ethics; Working Group on Education and Culture. COMECE is funded by the episcopal conferences in EU member states. Its secretariat is currently made of 10 people.


Leadership

;Presidents *
Franz Hengsbach Franz Hengsbach (10 September 1910 – 24 June 1991) was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Essen from 1957 to 1991, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1988. Biography Franz Hengsbach was born in ...
, Bishop of Essen (1980 – 1984) * Jean Hengen, Archbishop of Luxembourg (1984 – 1990) *
Charles Amarin Brand Charles-Amarin Brand (27 June 1920 – 31 March 2013) was a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Brand was born in Mulhouse, France, and was ordained a priest on 11 July 1943 from the Archdiocese of Strasbourg. He was appointe ...
, Archbishop of Strasbourg (1990 – 1993) *
Josef Homeyer Josef Homeyer (1 August 1929 – 30 March 2010) was a German Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim, located in Hildesheim, from his appointment by Pope John Paul II on 25 August 1983 until his retirement on 20 August 2004. Biography H ...
, Bishop of Hildesheim (1993 – 2006) * Adrianus Herman van Luyn, Bishop of Rotterdam (2006 – 2012) *
Reinhard Marx Reinhard Marx (born 21 September 1953) is a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He serves as the Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Pope Benedict XVI elevated Marx to the cardinalate in a consistory in 2010. Biography Born in Geseke, Nort ...
, Cardinal Archbishop of Munich and Freising (2012 – 2018) *
Jean-Claude Hollerich Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J. (born 9 August 1958) is a Luxembourger prelate of the Catholic Church, who has served as the Archbishop of Luxembourg since 2011. He has been the president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European ...
, Cardinal Archbishop of Luxembourg (2018 – 2023) *
Mariano Crociata Mariano Crociata (born 16 March 1953) has been bishop of the Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno since 19 November 2013. He was previously the Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), the first to come from a southern ...
, Bishop of Latina (2023 – present) ;General Secretaries *Msgr. Paul Huot-Pleuroux, France (1980 – 1989) *Fr. Paul Schaeffer, France (1989 – 1993) *Msgr.
Noël Treanor Noël Treanor (born 25 December 1950) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union with the personal title of archbishop on 26 November 2022. He was Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland fro ...
, Ireland (1993 – 2008) *Msgr. Piotr Mazurkiewicz, Poland (2008 – 2012) *Msgr. Patrick Daly, Ireland (2012 – 2016) *Fr. Olivier Poquillon O.P., France (2016 – 2019) *Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, Spain (2019 – present)


See also

*
Catholic Church in Europe The Catholic Church in Europe is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See in Rome, including represented Eastern Catholic missions. Demographically, Catholics are the largest religious group in Europe. Demogra ...


References


External links

*
''Europeinfos'' site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commission Of The Bishops' Conferences Of The European Community 1980 establishments in Europe
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
Catholic Church in Belgium Catholic Church in Europe European Union and the Catholic Church Christian organizations established in 1980