The EUROPEAN FORUM OF NATIONAL LAITY COMMITTEES (ELF) is an organisation aiming at promoting regular contacts between the national committees or councils of the Catholic laity in Europe.

To achieve that aim, the Forum intends to facilitate the exchange of experiences and information between its members on questions of European importance, especially concerning the problems of the mission of the Church in the world and its pastoral work. The ELF organises study meetings every two years in one of the member countries, dealing with pastoral and socio-political topics together with experts invited to share their expertise on specific questions.

The ELF keeps contact and wants to strengthen it with the European structures of bishops’ conferences (CCEE and COMECE) as well as with other organisations of the Catholic Church at European level (CCPE, UCESM and others), the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and churches and organisations of other Christian traditions and ecumenical movements.

The realization of the Gospel and its social ethics is an important task for a humane future of Europe. That’s why we, the Christian lay people, – in co-operation and shared responsibility with the priests and other ordained people – have and will have to play a growing role in our Church and in society.