The general secretaries of the European bishops’ conferences devoted their 53rd annual meeting to the theme of “Being Priests in Today’s Europe: Vocation and Formation.”
Speakers included Archbishop Alfonso Vincenzo Amarante, C.Ss.R., rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, who discussed “The Beauty of the Priesthood at the Service of a Complex World,” and Chiara D’Urbano, a psychologist, who discussed “Psycho-Affective Formation for the Priesthood: Perspectives from the Human Sciences.” Pope Francis wrote the preface to a 2025 book by D’Urbano on vocations and sexual orientation.
The European bishops’ meeting took place in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 14-17.