The inaugural session of the Plenary will begin with the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica on September 23 at 5:00 pm. At the end of the Holy Mass with the Holy Father, the participants will visit the tombs of the Popes for a moment of prayer. In addition, the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe will be received at the Quirinale by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the 24th.
The theme chosen for the Plenary, "CCEE, 50 years in the service of Europe, memory and perspectives on the horizon of Fratelli tutti".The European Council's theme, "The European Union," is intended to be an opportunity to analyze the situation in Europe, to identify the most significant elements affecting the ecclesial and civil fabric of our continent and to recall the Christian roots inherent in its history. And to renew the Church's commitment to the construction of Europe, following the exhortation of Pope Francis who, in his message to the European bishops on the occasion of the Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences in Santiago de Compostela, October 3-5, 2019.He invited them to work "for a new European humanism, capable of dialogue, integration and generation" so that Europe can "grow as a family of peoples, a land of peace and hope".
