” “”It is a great honour to receive the European bishops, the members of Ccee (Council of European Bishops Conferences), here in Russia. An event that has no precedents in our history. It is at the same time a great responsibility for our Church, which this year celebrates the 15th anniversary of its rebirth”. These are the words of mgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, archbishop of the archdiocese of God’s Mother in Moscow, in today’s welcome address to the participants in the first session of the plenary meeting of Ccee (Council of European Bishops Conferences) 2006, which opened today in Saint Petersburg (Russia) until October 8th. On the occasion of the meeting, the presidents of the 34 Bishops Conferences of Europe, the members of Ccee, will elect the new presidency of Ccee for the five years 2006-2011. The main topic of the meeting is a reflection on the service provided by the bishops’ body in its 35 years; the bishops will also try to define the basic lines of the future activity of Ccee for evangelisation. The floor will also discuss the vocational pastoral in Europe and the figure of the priest; marriage and family; the Church in Europe and the world situation; the relation between the Churches and the European Union; ecumenism and the next Third European Ecumenical Assembly (Aee3).” “
