The presidents of the bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) are gathering in Fatima, Portugal from 4 to 7 October, following an invitation by Mgr Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga, president of the Portuguese bishops’ conference. Archbishop Mgr Paul Cremona OP will be attending.

The conference presidents will begin their meeting in Lisbon today. A meeting will be held at the Patriarchate (S. Vicente de Fora Monastery) in the morning tomorrow and then the delegates will travel to Fatima.

In the first part of the Fatima session the Bishops will have the opportunity to reflect on the situation of the Catholic Church in Portugal and the role played by the Shrine of Fatima. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops (Holy See), will preside a Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady at 6.30pm.

The monographic theme of the Plenary Assembly will be marriage, analysed from various perspectives: the pastoral and legal situation of the institution of marriage in the different European countries, marriage and family in the European Union and mixed marriages.

The second part of the meeting will concentrate on the service of CCEE to the Churches of Europe with the presentation of five-year projects of the new Bishops in charge of the CCEE Commissions.

The Archbishop of Belgrade, Mgr Stanislav Hocevar, will chair the debate on the ecumenical situation and the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3) which ended in Sibiu (Romania) on 9 September.

The theme of European institutions and of the process of European unification 50 years after the Treaties of Rome will be introduced by Comece executives.