Brussels, 20/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 25 November, Pope Francis will make an official visit to the Council of Europe (COE).
In response to an invitation extended by the Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, during a private audience at the Vatican, His Holiness will address the Council of Europe at a formal session of all of its institutions, to mark the 65th anniversary of the COE.
Pope Francis will be greeted by Thorbjørn Jagland, Charles Michel, the prime minister of Belgium (as Belgium holds the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers), Anne Brasseur, president of the Parliamentary Assembly, Jean-Claude Frécon, president of the Congress, Dean Spielmann, president of the European Court of Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, commissioner for human rights, and Jean-Marie Heydt, president of the Conference of INGOs.
This will be the first visit by a pontiff to the Council of Europe since 8 October 1988, when Pope John Paul II visited on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the organisation. The Holy See was given observer status to the Council of Europe on 7 March 1970, but cooperation began in 1962. The Holy See, which is a party state to the European Cultural Convention, plays an active role within the COE in the field of culture. It is also involved in the Moneyval assessment and monitoring process. (LC)