Tirana, Albania, Oct 3, 2011 / 15:52 pm
Meeting in Albania last week for their plenary assembly, the Council of European Bishops' Conferences re-elected Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest as president of the body.
The cardinal will serve a five year term, ending in 2016.
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian bishops’ conference; and Archbishop Jozef Michalik of Przemysl, head of the Polish bishops’ conference, were elected as vice presidents. They will replace Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux and Cardinal Josip Bozanic.
The council bishops thanked the newly elected leaders for their readiness to serve and encouraged them in their work of evangelization in Europe. According to a press release, they also “thanked all the members of the outgoing presidency for their work for the good of the Church and for their devotion to promoting fraternal communion among the European episcopates.”