Sunday, October 23, 2016

COMECE bishops to discuss the plight of Europe’s poor at their autumn plenary assembly

comeceThe autumn Plenary Assembly of the 27 Bishops’ Conferences of COMECE will be held in Brussels from 26 to 28 October on the topic ‘The Plight of Europe’s poor & EU Strategies to eliminate poverty’.

The COMECE bishops will meet local associations in Brussels, which provide help to the poor. As in every plenary assembly, experts and EU officials will be invited to exchange with the bishops on the main topic:

– the secretary general of Caritas Europa, Jorge Nuño Maier, will outline an analysis of poverty within the European Union, between individual action and institutional advocacy;

-Ms Doreen Huddart, Rapporteur for the opinion on Child Poverty(Committee of the Regions) will share her view on structural poverty in Europe;

– Michel Servoz, European Commission, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, will present EU actions to tackle poverty and social inequalities in the EU.

In the light of a re-reading of the joint report on Poverty issued by COMECE, CEC, Eurodiaconia and Caritas Europa, the bishops will consider a statement on poverty and social inequalities in Europe.

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.