The council meets at the invitation of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster. The first day of the assembly will be dedicated to discussing the role of Christianity and the church in present-day Europe, the status of the faith and its relationship with other faiths. The lobby to include reference to God and Europe’s Christian roots in the EU Constitution will also be on the table during this phase.

The second part of the assembly will focus on forthcoming events common to the bishops’ conferences such as World Youth Day 2005, to be held in Cologne, and the future of the council with regard to evangelisation and pastoral care.