Minsk, Belarus, Oct 2, 2017 / 15:40 pm
The annual gathering of the presidents of European episcopal conferences began Thursday with a strong appeal to the continent "not to waste itself by forgetting its Christian roots," and to shepherds of Europe to "talk about Jesus to restore hope."
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, president of the Council of the European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE), set the tone of the meeting in an inaugural speech delivered Sep. 28 in Minsk, where the gathering is taking place.
This is the first time the plenary session of the council has taken place in Belarus.
The CCEE includes presidents of the episcopal conferences in forty-five European states, including countries not members of the European Union, such as Albania, Turkey, and Russia.