Abbreviation COMECE | Headquarters Brussels, Belgium | |
Predecessor European Catholic Pastoral Information Service Established March 3, 1980; 36 years ago (1980-03-03) Type Association without lucrative purpose Purpose Represent episcopal conferences of EU member states at EU institutions |
The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (Latin: Commissio Episcopatuum Communitatis Europaeae; COMECE) is the association of Catholic Church episcopal conferences in member states of the European Union (EU) which officially represents those episcopal conferences at EU institutions.
Contents
COMECE bishops are delegated by Catholic episcopal conferences in EU member states and has a permanent Secretariat in Brussels, 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 led to the decision, on the eve of the European Parliament election, 1979, to establish COMECE.
Objectives
The objectives of COMECE are to:
Organisation
COMECE's president is currently Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising. It has first Vice-President Bishop Jean Kockerols and three other vice-presidents, currently Bishop Gianni Ambrosio, Bishop Czesław Kozon and Bishop Rimantas Norvila. The official who runs the office on a day-to-day basis is the General Secretary, currently the Rev. Dr. Patrick Daly. The General Secretary is appointed for a three-year term renewable term.
COMECE is funded by the episcopal conferences in EU member states. Its Secretariat is currently made of 10 people.
Presidents of COMECE
General Secretaries of COMECE
Publications
COMECE and the Jesuit European Social Centre publish a monthly digital newsletter, europeinfos, to make the meaning and purpose of the European project better known to citizens, and especially to the local churches.