2014-06-19 12:41:00

European Bishops discuss role of the Council of Europe


(Vatican Radio) The Council of the Bishop’s Conference of Europe(CCEE)  is holding the the 42nd meeting of the General Secretaries of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

 The four-day meeting began on Thursday, and was scheduled to discuss the role and significance of the Council of Europe for the European nations, not just in political terms, but above all at the social and cultural level.

With its 47 members states, the Council of Europe includes nearly all the countries of the continent, from the Atlantic to the Ural Mountains.  The best known bodies of the Council of Europe are the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharmaceutical products in Europe.

 “In this way we aim to get a better understanding of how the Council of Europe works, to deepen our mutual awareness and give voice to our church bodies,” said Msgr. Duarte da Cunha, the CCEE General Secretary.  “In fact we believe that the mission of the promotion and protection of human rights, the rule of law and democracy which are at the basis of the Council of Europe, take s on full meaning insofar as we promote peace, the integral development of the human person, the defence of freedom and life which are at the heart of the Church’s mission.”

Listen to the interview by Charles Collins with Msgr. Duarte da Cunha:

He said Christians need to take notice of the work of the Council of Europe, which is often overshadowed by the European Union in Brussels.

“It is urgent for Christians and the Churches to become evermore conscious of and expert in the issues which are tackled at a European level, that they be heard as representatives of civil society and become protagonists in the places where decisions are taken,” he said.








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