Ahead of the upcoming European Council, COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, will present its report on ‘Europe’s vocation to promote peace in the world’.
At the COMECE plenary meetings in March, a full day was devoted to the study of this theme of Europe’s vocation to promote peace in the world. During this day, bishops met Anna Elzbieta Fotyga, Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament, and Father Sean Healy from Social Justice Ireland. The Bishops’ Assembly expressed its belief that a coherent European peace policy must be founded on the fundamental values of the Union. In addition, a vision and a strategy for its implementation are needed.
The report will be launched on Tuesday 14 June alongside a lunch debate from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. Bishop Jean Kockerols, Vice-President of COMECE and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels, will speak at the launch, as will Brigadier General Heinz Krieb, Director of Concepts & Capability Directorate of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) of the European Union External Action Service (EEAS).
COMECE is made up of bishops delegated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the 28 Member States of the European Union. Bishop Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor, is the COMECE representative from the Irish Bishops’ Conference. For more information on COMECE visit www.comece.eu.
ENDS