Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

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[edit] About

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic bishops in these two countries. It is an expression of the collegiality of the bishops. Through it they proclaim the Gospel to the people of England and Wales.

All the bishops of England and Wales meet together twice a year to decide policies for the Church at a national level. These week-long gatherings occur soon after Easter (Low Week) and in November.

Each bishop chairs a committee of experts dealing with a specific area of concern for the Church. Committees are grouped into departments for practical purposes.

The administration of the Bishops' Conference is funded by a levy on each diocese, varying according to its size. A General Secretariat in London co-ordinates and supervises the Bishops' Conference administration activities. Read the Secretariat's Vision, Mission and Values Statement.

Attached to the General Secretariat is the Catholic Communications Network, which deals with media relations.

[edit] Structure of the Bishops' Conference

President: His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster

Vice-President: The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool

Membership: Diocesan, Auxiliary and Emeritus (Retired) Bishops of England and Wales, the Apostolic Exarch for the Ukrainians and the Bishop of the Forces

Other agencies of the Bishops' Conference include: