Rome (Fides Service) - From today September 29, the plenary assembly of the Presidents of Europe's Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) will open in the "Salesianum" center in Rome. The gathering will reflect on the theme: "The Second Vatican Council and Europe. Future directions?" The meeting is due to last until October 2, and will be attended by the presidents of the 34 CCEE member European Bishops' Conferences. On the first day of the Assembly, discussions will focus on the theme of Vatican Council II and Europe on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the council sessions. In the light of the indications stemming from the council, the bishops will try to discern basic guidelines for the future work of bishops' conferences and the CCEE with regard to evangelization. Among the pastoral spheres under discussion will be vocations, school and university catechesis, the means of social communications and migration. The debate on present-day ecumenism and the forthcoming Third European Ecumenical Assembly will be introduced by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, England. The presidents will be informed about the program for the first stage of the assembly, which is due to take place in Rome on January 24-27, 2006. The second part of the Assembly will focus on some events which have been at the heart of work in the bishops' conferences: World Youth Day in Cologne; the Italian referendum on fertility treatment; the debate in Spain on the family, and the question of euthanasia. Also under discussion will be the relationship between the Churches and the European Union, and the future of the process of European unification. The plenary assembly will conclude with participation at the opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, 2 October, presided by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 29/9/2005; righe 17, parole 235)