Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh elected as the president of the Commission for Pastoral Social Care at the COMECE

At the plenary assembly of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (COMECE), Bishop Bohdan Dzyurach, Apostolic Exarch in Germany and Scandinavia, was elected president of the Commission for Pastoral Social Care.

This year, the annual meeting of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe, "The Church in Europe on the Synodal Path", took place on October 27-28 online.

On the second day of the plenary session, October 28, the hierarchs of Europe elected the heads of the Council's structural subdivisions, namely the Commission for Evangelism and Culture, the Commission for Family and Life, the Commission for Youth, the Commission for Pastoral Social Care and the Economic Department.

Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine rite living in Germany and Scandinavian countries, was elected as the president of the Pastoral Social Care Commission for three years.

Background information

The activities of the Commission of Pastoral Social Care of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe are carried out in three directions:

• social issues (support by the Commission of bishops responsible in this area of each Episcopal Conference of Europe in the protection of human rights and the common good, promotion of social cohesion and non-discrimination in Europe, with the aim of creating a network of cooperation between various institutions for the protection of human life and dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms );
• migration (organization of meetings of bishops and national directors responsible for the pastoral care of migrants, so that they can compare experiences, study situations that need to be assessed from the point of view of countries of origin, and receive important information for Christian communities on the issue of migration and so that the voice of the Church is heard in public opinions of the continent regarding the situation of migrants in Europe);
• care for creation (supporting working groups that develop an awareness of the responsibility of man and the Church for the care of creation, organization of activities aimed at strengthening cooperation and dialogue between Churches in Europe in this area).