European Bishops’ General Secretaries Conclude Meeting in Madrid
On June 19, the three-day work of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences came to an end. This year’s joint meeting was held in Madrid, Spain, from June 16–19, with the theme of the ministry of European bishops in the dynamics between unity and diversity.
The participants discussed synodality in the context of communion, participation, and mission, along with the ecumenical dimension of synodality. They heard reports from four commissions operating within the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe: the Commission on Evangelization and Culture, the Commission on Pastoral Social Work, the Commission on Youth, and the Commission on Family and Life. These commissions presented their annual activities in accordance with their designated areas.
The participants also heard a report by Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, Secretary General of the European Union, who outlined the principal areas on which the Church is working together with the European Union. Among the topics discussed were the war in Ukraine and the Holy Land, migration, gender ideology, abortion and pro-life issues, Europe’s place in the world, and environmental concerns in light of the farmers’ protests. The speaker emphasized the importance of the work of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences to the European Union, noting that laws adopted in the European Parliament are submitted to national parliaments for adoption. Therefore, defending moral Christian principles and protecting human life is a prime priority in the Commission’s activities.
“The activities of the charitable organization Caritas Europe, which provides direct assistance to people in need in Ukraine through Caritas Ukraine, were also recognized. The President of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, appealed to the participants to continue to support Ukraine in this terrible and unjust war with their prayers,” said Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC and representative of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at the meeting.
At the end of the event, the participants prayed the rosary to the Mother of God together and heard the testimony of a Spanish girl, Jimena, who miraculously recovered after placing her trust in the Mother of God through prayer on the rosary.
The next annual meeting of European Secretaries General will be convened in June 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Ukrainian representatives at an international event
As reported earlier, 41 representatives of the bishops of Europe and the Holy See gathered in Madrid. Ukraine was represented at this international event by Most Rev. Andriy Khimyak, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, Bishop Edward Kava, Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, and Father Petro Beresh, representative of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese.
Press service of the Secretariat of the UGCC Synod of Bishops
