“I have been really amazed that I have been appointed
deputy president of Comece. I would like to thank all the bishops my
brothers, but above all I take it as a powerful message to the Polish Church
and to the churches of Central-Eastern Europe”. Mgr. Piotr Jarecki,
auxiliary bishop of Warsaw, is one of the two new “deputies” of the EC
Commission of the Episcopates. Along with mgr. Diarmuid Martin, archbishop
of Dublin, he will assist the president, mgr. Adrianus van Luyn (diocese of
Rotterdam). Last week’s Comece meeting strengthened the ties between Eastern
and Western Churches: “In this respect – adds Jarecki – the believers prove
to be committed to and keen on building a common, peaceful Europe without
barriers. Comece played an important role in this connection, and I would
like to thank the outgoing president, mgr. Homeyer, for what he did. Freed
from the yoke of totalitarianism, we can cooperate with the other European
countries in effective actions centred around man”. On his part, mgr.
Giuseppe Merisi, bishop of Lodi, believes “it was an excellent choice by
Comece, that of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome
that established the EC (March 25th 1957). In March 2007, we will meet in
the Italian capital to highlight the many successes that have been achieved
in half a century by the EC without neglecting the current problems. In this
respect, we decided to give prominence to lay associations, to bring such
subjects into the heart of the Christian communities”.
