Zagreb, (IKA) – A press conference on the occasion of the Plenary Assembly of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), which began today, September 30, and will conclude on Sunday, October 3, was held in the auditorium of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute in Zagreb. The speakers at the press conference were the President of the CCEE, Cardinal Peter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and the Vice Presidents of the CCEE, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb, and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux. The press conference was moderated by the CCEE Media Officer, Thierry Bonaventura, who stated that 10 cardinals, 33 (arch)bishops, representatives of the Holy See at the bodies of the European Union and delegates from the bishops’ conferences of Africa and Latin America would be participating in the Plenary Assembly.
The numerous domestic and foreign journalists from various media in attendance were first addressed by Cardinal Erdö, who emphasized that every year the CCEE selects a topic of crucial importance to the European continent. Thus, the topic “Demographics and the Family in Europe” was chosen for this year. In preparation for the assembly, an investigation was conducted on the demographic situation in Europe by sending a questionnaire to each of the bishops’ conferences. The responses sent from the bishops’ conferences helped create a picture of the demographic situations, birth rates etc. The family is crucial for the healthy development of a person but an increasing number of children are being born outside the family. It is important to help parents because they pass down healthy values, said Archbishop Erdö. He pointed out that there are indicators of a great demographic decline in the populations of certain countries but that individual governments, including Croatia, are undertaking concrete measures to improve the situation in the family and, thus, in the society. The President of the CCEE also drew attention to the fact that the concept of the family is being changed at the legislative level in some European countries. He said that the Church considers the family to be a permanent bond between a man and woman, a marital alliance open to children and childbirth.
The journalists were then addressed by Cardinal Bozanić. At the request of the moderator of the press conference, the cardinal compared the situation in Croatia in 1983, when the Plenary Assembly of the CCEE was also held in Zagreb, with the present situation in the country. Cardinal Bozanić said that at the assembly held nearly thirty years ago, the participants were not the presidents but delegates of the bishops’ conferences. It was also held during the communist era, when the council had fewer members because some of the communist countries were not able to have their own bishops’ conferences. The situation is now different in many ways, emphasized Cardinal Bozanić, who said that the participants at this assembly will find that Zagreb and Croatia have changed. He also mentioned another celebration connected with the current assembly, the 12th anniversary of the beatification of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, a gift, as he said, to our Church and the Croatian people that the Croatian people awaited and experienced in 1998. Cardinal Bozanić also expressed satisfaction that the current assembly is being held in the year when we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac.
Cardinal Ricard spoke about the situation of the family in France. He discussed the fact that the average fertility rate (births/woman) in France is 1.99, which is fairly high in comparison to other European countries. This high rate is contributed to by the large number of immigrants in France but also the favorable attitude toward childbearing and the family in that country, as well as a pro-natalist policy. In France, 53 percent of all children are born outside of marriage. The state pays for assistance to parents in their homes and an increasing number of kindergartens and institutions care for children while their parents are at work. Maternity leave lasts for a long time, together with a subsidy for the other parent to be at home as well with the child for a time. There have been general improvements in the infrastructure, e.g., accommodations and contents are provided for schoolchildren on Wednesdays, when school is not in session in France. Despite everything, France is heading toward a demographic decline. In connection with this, Cardinal Ricard mentioned the baby boom that occurred in France after the Second World War. Now the boomer generation is aging, due to which the elderly population in France is growing. Today, persons over 60 years of age comprise 1/5 of the population. If the existing demographic trend continues, warned the French cardinal, 3/5 of the population in the year 2050 will be over 60 years of age.
At the Plenary Assembly of the CCEE in Zagreb, many guest experts will present lectures. Tomorrow, the presidents and participants of the bishops’ conferences will be received by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipović. On Sunday, October 3, at 10 a.m., the participants in the Plenary Assembly will celebrate the Eucharist in the Zagreb cathedral on the occasion of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.