14-17 June: The General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences will meet in Belgrade
From 14 to 17 June 2026, Belgrade will host the 53rd Annual Meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences. The theme of the meeting will be “Being Priests in Today’s Europe: Vocation and Formation”. The event, organised by the CCEE, will take place at the invitation of H. Em. Card. Ladislav NEMET, SVD, Archbishop of Belgrade and Vice-President of the CCEE. The meeting will be attended by Bishop Marek Marczak, General Secretary of the Polish Bishops' Conference.
https://episkopat.pl/doc/248417.14-17-czerwca-Spotkanie-Sekretarzy-Generalnych-Konferencji
https://episkopat.pl/doc/248440.14-17-giugno-I-Segretari-Generali-delle-Conferenze-Episcopali-d
The proceedings will begin on Sunday 14 June with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Nemet at the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On Monday 15 June, following the Holy Mass presided over by H.E. Msgr. Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius and President of the CCEE, as well as the official greetings, The work will begin with a discussion on the topic “The Beauty of the Priesthood at the Service of a Complex World”, entrusted to H.E. Msgr. Alfonso Amarante, C.Ss.R., Magnificent Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University. That same afternoon, the General Secretaries will share experiences and best practices regarding vocations and priestly formation from within the various ecclesial communities across the continent.
On Tuesday 16 June, the discussion will continue with a session dedicated to “The Vocation to the Priesthood and Integral Formation: Crisis, Witness, Prayer”. Speakers will include Dr. Chiara D’Urbano, Psychologist and Psychotherapist, speaking on the subject of psycho-affective formation for the priesthood, and Rev. Fr. Michele Gianola, Secretary of the CCEE Section for Vocations/EVS, who will offer a reflection on the priestly ministry as an ongoing journey of formation. In the afternoon, there will be a tour of some of the main religious and cultural sites in the Serbian capital.
The final day, Wednesday 17 June, will be devoted to reports from the secretaries of the CCEE’s Commissions for Youth, Social Pastoral Care, Family and Life, and Evangelisation and Culture, as well as to a presentation of the activities of COMECE. The General Secretaries will also provide updates on the development of synodality at the national level within their respective Bishops’ Conferences.
The meeting of the General Secretaries provides an important opportunity for mutual dialogue and for sharing of the challenges and opportunities facing the Church in Europe today.
CCEE
