His Excellency Mgr. Jean-Claude Hollerich S.J., Archbishop of Luxembourg, was elected President of COMECE on the 8th of March 2018 by the Delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union. Archbischop Hollerich succeeds to H. Em. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who held the reins of COMECE for two terms and, among other things, drove the process of the (Re)Thinking Europe Dialogue.

After his election, President Mgr. Hollerich announced to be working towards a united and peaceful Europe that respects and protects human dignity and focuses on the common good. For that purpose he was “ready to work together with all persons of good will who are dedicated to respect and protect human dignity”. The associations of catholic youth work and adult education as well as the European Office congratulate the new president und wish him all the best for his new task. May god bless him!

We are looking forward to advance, in cooperation mit COMECE, a European agenda based on the catholic social teachings of solidarity, comunity and subsidiarity to transform the EU into a place of freedom and dignity for all human beings.

Mgr. Hollerich is now entrusted with the responsibility and the challenge to lead COMECE for the period 2018-2023, capitalising on the success of (Re)thinking Europe, strengthening the Dialogue between the EU institutions and the Catholic Church on the basis of Article 17 TFEU.

Representing Luxembourg at COMECE since November 2011, Mgr. Hollerich has been contributing to an active Dialogue between the EU institutions and the Church. During the 13th Annual High-Level meeting hosted by the European Commission, Mgr. Hollerich stated that Churches and religious communities are engaged in a Dialogue with political actors to contribute to the construction of Europe as a project of peace based on the common good. “Christians – he recalled – are not an interest group speaking in favor of religions, but European citizens committed to the construction of Europe, our common house”.

President Archbishop Hollerich was born in Luxemburg in 1958 and was ordained priest in 1990. Between 2008 and 2011 he was Vice-Rector for the General and Student Affairs at the Sophia University in Tokyo. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Father Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ Archbishop of Luxembourg. He became President of the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions in 2014 and President of the CCEE Commission for the youth in 2017. Read here his full biography.