The Church and the media. In the mutual service of the Truth.   

Plenary Assembly of the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops Conferences (CCEE) - Esztergom, Hungary, 30 September – 3 October 2008

The Church and the Media, dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, Christians and Muslims, plans for collaboration with the Church in Africa and in Latin America, the work of the European institutions – these are the major themes to be discussed by the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences. In the course of the meeting a new CCEE General Secretary will also be elected.

The Presidents of Europe´s Bishops´ Conferences will meet in Esztergom, Hungary, from 30 September – 3 October 2008 at the invitation of Cardinal Péter Erdö, Primate of Hungary, President of the Hungarian Bishops´ Conference and CCEE President.

The major theme of the Plenary Assembly will be the Church and the Media. There will be a presentation of the results of CCEE-promoted European research among the Bishops´ Conferences attempting to define the media´s perception of the Church in Europe, examine how ecclesial themes are treated in the media and what tools the Bishops´ Conferences have at their disposal for their mission of communicating the gospel in a changing world.

The second part of the Assembly will focus instead on CCEE´s service to the Church in Europe with a presentation of the activities of the various CCEE Commissions (Media, Migration; ´Catechesis, school and university´ and Vocations).

Part of the Assembly will be dedicated to the theme of collaboration between CCEE and other continental bodies: with SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) and with CELAM (Latin-American Council).

The programme for the first Catholic-Orthodox Forum (Trent, Italy, 11-14 December 2008) will be presented.

In addition, the Presidents will receive brief reports on some current issues: the teaching of the Catholic faith; stem-cell research, euthanasia and dialogue with Islam.

In the course of their meeting the Presidents will elect the new CCEE General Secretary.

On Thursday 2 October 2008 the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences will meet His Excellency László Sólyom, President of the Hungarian Republic.

A News Release will be published at the end of the Assembly.

St. Gallen, 25 September 2008

PARTECIPANTS LIST

Bishops’ Conferences
ALBANIA – President: H.E. Mgr Rrok Mirdita, Metrop. Archbishop of Tirana-Durazzo
AUSTRIA – President: H.E. Christoph Card. Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna
BELARUS – Representative of the president H.E. Mgr Aleksander Kaszkiewicz - H.E. Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA – President: H.E. Vinko Card. Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo
BULGARIA – President: H.E. Mgr Christo Proykov, Apostolical Exarch of Sofia
CROATIA – CCEE Vice-President CCEE: H.E. Josip Card. Bozanic, Archbishop of Zagreb
President: H.E. Mgr Marin Srakic, Bishop of Dakovo and Srijem
CZECH REPUBLIC – President: H.E. Mgr Jan Graubner, Archbishop of Olomouc
ENGLAND AND WALES – President: H.E. Cormac Card. Murphy-O´Connor, Archbishop of Westminster
FRANCE – CCEE vice-President: H.E. Jean-Pierre Card. Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux
President : H.E. André Card. Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris
GERMANY – President: H.E. Mgr Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg
GREECE – President: H.E. Mgr Fragkískos Papamanólis OFMCap, Bishop of Syros and Santorini
HUNGARY – President: H.E. Péter Card. Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, CCEE President
IRELAND – President: H.E. Seán B. Card. Brady, Archbishop of Armagh
ITALY – President: H.E. Angelo Card. Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genova
LATVIA – President: H.E. Joannes Card. Pujats, Archbishop of Rigen
LITHUANIA – Representative of the president H.E. Mgr Sigitas Temkevicius: H.E. Audrys Juozas Card. Backis, Archbishop of Vilnius
LUXEMBURG – President: H.E. Mgr Fernand Franck, Archbishop of Luxemburg
MALTA – President: H.E. Mgr Paul Cremona OP, Archbishop of Malta
MOLDAVIA - H.E. Mgr Anton Cosa, Bishop of Chisinau
POLAND – President: H.E. Mgr Józef Michalik, Archbishop of Przemysl
PORTUGAL – President: H.E. Mgr Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga, Archbishop of Braga
PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO - H.E. Mgr Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco
ROMANIA – President: H.E. Mgr Ioan Robu, Archbishop of Bucharest
RUSSIAN FEDERATION – President: H.E. Mgr Joseph Werth SJ, Bishop of the diocese of Transfiguration in Novosibirsk
SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) – President: H.E. Mgr Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm
SCOTLAND – President: H.E. Keith Patrick Card. O´Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
SLOVAKIA – President: H.E. Mgr Frantisek Tondra, Bishop of Spis
SLOVENIA – President: H.E. Mgr Alojzij Uran, Metrop. Archbishop of Ljubljana
SPAIN - Representative of the president H.E. Antonio Maria Card. Rouco Varala: H.E. Mgr Juan Antonio Martínez Camino SJ – General Secretary of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference
SS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS (Bishops’ Conference) – President : H.E. Mgr Stanislav Hocevar, Arcivescovo Metropolita Belgrado
SWITZERLAND – President: H.E. Mgr Kurt Koch, Bishop of Basel
THE NETHERLANDS – President: H.E. Mgr Adrianus van Luyn SDB, Bishop of Rotterdam – President of COMECE
TURKEY - Representative of the president H.E. Mgr Luigi Padovese: H.E. Mgr Georges Khazzoum, Church of S. John Crisostomos
UKRAINE (Bizantine rite) – President: H.E. Lubomyr Card. Husar Archbishop Major of Kiev and Galizia
UKRAINE (Latin rite) - Representative of the president H.E. Card. Marian Jaworski: H.E. Mgr Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Auxiliary Bishop of Lemberg

Presidents of CCEE Commission
Commission “Catechesis, School, University” - H.E. Mgr Marek Jedraszewski, Auxiliary Bishop of Poznan
Commission “Finances”- H.E. Mgr Ivo Fürer, Former Bishop of St.Gallen
Commission “Media” - H.E. Mgr Jean-Michel di Falco Léandri, Bishop of Gap
Commission “Migrations” - H.E. Mgr José Sánchez González, Bishop of Sigüenza-Guadalajara
Commission “Vocations” - H.E. Mgr Wojciech Polak, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Gniezno

Holy See
H.E. Mgr Juliusz Janusz, Apostolic Nuntius in Hungary
H.E. Mgr André Dupuy, Apostolic Nuntius to EU
Mgr Aldo Giordano, Special Envoy – Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe

Guest
H.E. Polycarp Card. Pengo, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam - SECAM-SCEAM President
H.E. Mgr Héctor Manuel Cabrejos Vidarte, Archbishop of Trujillo - President of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR THE MEDIA

1. Material available to journalists. Journalists can recieve accreditation by completing the form below. They will be given a password to access the area of the CCEE website reserved for journalists (www.ccee.ch) where they will find the programme, list of participants, texts, etc.

2. Venue

Sant’Adalberto Conference Centre
(Szent Adalbert Konferencia Központ)
H – 2500 Esztergom, Szent István tér 10

A media access point will be set up at the venue with a Wireless connexion.

3. News Conference
A News Conference introducing the work to be undertaken will take place on Tuesday 30 September 2008 at 1130 in Budapest at the following location:

The Hungarian Bishops’ Conference
(Magyar Katolikus Püspöki Konferencia Titkársága)
H-1071 Budapest, Városligeti fasor 45.

At the end of the Assembly a News Conference will be held on Friday 3 October 2008 at 1230 in Esztergom at the following location:
Sant’Adalberto Conference Centre
(Szent Adalbert Konferencia Központ)
H – 2500 Esztergom, Szent István tér 10

For further information:

Thierry Bonaventura
CCEE Media Officer
Tel: +41-71-227 60 40
Fax: +41-71-227 60 41
Mobile: +41-78-851 60 40
thierry.bonaventuraccee.ch

Csongor Szerdahelyi
Director of Social Communications
Hungarian Bishops’ Conference
T: ++36 / 1 / 321 09 45
F: ++36 / 1 / 321 09 59
N: ++36 / 30 / 241 22 35
szerdahelyikatolikus.hu
______________________________

To the Council of the Bishops´ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) belong, as members, the current 33 European Bishops´ Conferences of this Continent, represented by right by their Presidents, and the Archbishops of Luxembourg and of the Principality of Monaco and the Bishop of Chisinau (Moldavia). The President is Cardinal Péter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Primate of Hungary; the Vice-Presidents are Cardinal Josip Bosanic, Archbishop of Zagreb, and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux. The Secretariat is based at St Gallen (Switzerland).

25.09.2008