The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is the
episcopal conference
An episcopal conference, often also called a bishops’ conference or 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 fir ...
of the
Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Overview
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic
Bishops
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
and
Personal Ordinaries in the two member countries. The membership of the Conference comprises the Archbishops, Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops of the 22
Dioceses within England and
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, the
Bishop of the Forces (Military Ordinariate), the Apostolic Eparch of the Ukrainian Church in Great Britain, the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and the Apostolic Prefect of the Falkland Islands.
Structure

;President:
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Vincent Nichols,
Archbishop of Westminster
;Vice-president:
Bernard Longley,
Archbishop of Birmingham
;General Secretary:
Christopher Thomas,
Diocese of Nottingham
;Membership:
*
Diocesan,
auxiliary and
emeritus (retired) bishops of England and Wales
*
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Eparch
*
Ukrainian Catholic Church Eparch
*
Ordinary of the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
Departments
The conference is divided into departments each dealing with specific topic matters. There are seven departments, these being:
*Christian Life and Worship
*Education and Formation
*Social Justice
*Dialogue and Unity
*Evangelisation and Discipleship
*International Affairs
Each department consists of bishops and staff, and is chaired by one bishop. Other bishops contribute as episcopal staff, and there are a few other members serving as staff. Each department is further subdivided into committees; a separate member of the episcopal staff of that department oversees the reports and work of their committee.
Other agencies
Other agencies of the Bishops' Conference include:
*
Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) – the
international development
International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic development, economic or human development (economics), human development on an international sca ...
and
humanitarian agency;
*
Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) – the social action arm of the Catholic Church in England and Wales;
*
Catholic Education Service
The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), whose object is the advancement of the Christian religion, primarily through education.
History
The CES has its roots in the ...
; and
* Catholic Youth Ministry Federation (CYMFED) – recognised and supported by the Bishops' Conference, it is also a member of the Department for Catechesis and Evangelisation.
See also
*
Bishops' Conference of Scotland
*
Catholic Church in England and Wales
References
External links
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Walesofficial website
Catholic News official website
GCatholic website
CAFODCaritas – Social ActionCatholic AssociationCatholic Education Service
{{Authority control
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
Bishops' Conference