Strengthening Christian Witness in Europe: CROCEU Welcomes COMECE President

On Wednesday, 25 March 2025, the Committee of Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) had the honour of welcoming the President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), Mgr. Mariano Crociata, for a high-level meeting marked by a spirit of fraternity, dialogue, and shared commitment to the Christian presence in Europe.

Mgr. Crociata was accompanied by COMECE General Secretary, Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto.

On behalf of the CROCEU members, the Moderator of CROCEU, His Eminence Athenagoras of Belgium (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), warmly welcomed the distinguished guests.

In his address, His Eminence highlighted the fruitful cooperation already existing between CROCEU and COMECE, recalling in particular their joint visit to Nicosia, in December 2025. On that occasion, both bodies presented a common Christian perspective on the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union. He further underlined the importance of deepening this collaboration, noting in particular the strong and well-established relations between Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities at the local level in Belgium, as a solid foundation for broader cooperation.

In his response, Mgr. Crociata expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and acknowledged the high quality of the current relations between the two organisations. He conveyed his hope to further strengthen these ties by identifying new avenues of collaboration, thereby reinforcing the Christian witness at the European level and enhancing dialogue between Christian organisations and European Union institutions.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of CROCEU and COMECE to work together in addressing the challenges facing Europe today, promoting common values, and contributing constructively to the European project.

The Representation of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions was represented at this meeting by Rev. Fr. Sorin SELARU, Director, and Rev. Fr. George VALCU, CROCEU General Secretary.