In its June 1 Italian edition, L’Osservatore Romano published a front-page article applauding the suggestions to the European Convention by members of the European Popular Party and by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini.
Fini, who represents the Italian government in the convention, signed an amendment requesting «the insertion of the Judeo-Christian religious heritage» among the values that inspire the European Union.
L’Osservatore Romano stated that the draft Preamble «is surprising, not so much for what it contains» — it refers to the Greco-Roman heritage and the Enlightenment — «but for what it omits and denies.»
«In the present form, the draft Preamble delineates a Europe deprived of one of the most authentic roots of its history,» namely, Christianity, the paper said. «The hope still remains that the persistent petitions to amend the text will be accepted.»
