Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community

The Commission of the Bishops 'Conferences of the European Community ( Latin : Com missio E piscopatum C ommunitatis E uropensis ( COMECE )) consists of the delegated bishops of the Catholic Bishops' Conferences in the area of ​​the European Union (EU). Its permanent secretariat is based in Brussels . The Commission currently consists of 24 permanent members (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, England and Wales, France, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary) and two associate members (Croatia and Switzerland).

Historical background

The discussions in the 1970s about the establishment of a liaison between the Bishops' Conferences and the European Community finally led to the decision in 1979 - shortly before the first direct elections to the European Parliament - to set up this commission. COMECE was founded on March 3rd, 1980.

Structure and working method

The members elect an executive committee consisting of the president, the two vice-presidents and the general secretary. The permanent secretariat under the direction of the Secretary General ensures the continuity of the work. The bishops meet twice a year for a general assembly, in which the apostolic nuncio regularly takes part. The general assembly lays down the basic lines of the work. COMECE is financed by the European Bishops' Conferences .

tasks and goals

COMECE sees itself as a European component for the creation of a united Europe, the definition of its tasks and goals is:

• Observe and analyze political developments in the European Union.
• Informing the Catholic Church about developments in EU policy and legislation and arouse interest in them.
• Promote reflection on the challenges of a united Europe on the basis of the Christian social teaching of the Catholic Church .

Presidium and members

Bureau

• President: Jean-Claude Hollerich , Archbishop of Luxembourg , elected on March 9, 2018
• Vice Presidents:
  • Mariano Crociata Bishop of Latina
  • Noel Treanor , Bishop of Down and Connor
  • Jan Vokál , Bishop of Königgrätz
  • Franz-Josef Overbeck , Bishop of Essen

Members

• Josip Bozanić , Archbishop of Zagreb
• Virgil Bercea , Bishop of Oradea Mare
• Jean Kockerols , auxiliary bishop in Mechelen-Brussels
• Czeslaw Kozon , Bishop of Copenhagen
• Rimantas Norvila , Bishop of Vilkaviškis
• Ferenc Cserháti , Auxiliary Bishop in Esztergom-Budapest
• Manuel Nin , Greek Catholic Exarch of Greece
• Hugh Gilbert , Bishop of Aberdeen
• Adolfo González Montes , Bishop of Almería
• Antoine Hérouard , auxiliary bishop in Lille
• Jozef Haľko , auxiliary bishop in Bratislava
• Theodorus Cornelis Maria Hoogenboom , auxiliary bishop in Utrecht
• Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan , Administrator of the Apostolic Administration of Estonia
• Egidius Zsifkovics , Bishop of Eisenstadt
• Nicholas Hudson , Auxiliary Bishop at Westminster
• Christo Proykov , Bishop of the Eparchy St. John XXIII. in Sofia
• António Augusto dos Santos Marto , Bishop of Leiria-Fátima
• Joseph Galea-Curmi , auxiliary bishop in Malta
• Joseph Soueif , Archbishop of Cyprus
• Zbigņevs Stankevičs , Archbishop of Riga
• Janusz Stepnowski Bishop of Łomża
• Franc Šuštar , auxiliary bishop in Ljubljana

Departments and work topics

• Church, religion and Europe: Catholic Church in Europe, ecumenism , dialogue with other religions, Church and State in Europe
• The EU in the world: foreign and security policy, trade policy and global governance, development policy
• The European model of society: social affairs, information society, research and bioethics , education and youth
• Law and Justice: Human Rights, Asylum and Migration , Legal Issues, Church and State in Europe
• Future of the EU: European integration, Europeanization of the Union.

Chairperson

• Franz Hengsbach , Bishop of Essen (1982–1984)
• Jean Hengen , Archbishop of Luxembourg (1984–1990)
• Charles Amarin Brand , Archbishop of Strasbourg (1990–1993)
• Josef Homeyer , Bishop of Hildesheim (1993–2006)
• Adrianus Herman van Luyn SDB , Bishop of Rotterdam (2006–2012)
• Reinhard Marx , Archbishop of Munich and Freising (2012–2018)
• Jean-Claude Hollerich , Archbishop of Luxembourg (see 2018)

Web links

• Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community
• http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/conference/302.htm

Individual evidence

1. ↑ “We are at a crucial point for the future of Europe”. comece.org, accessed March 23, 2012 .