BRUSSELS, Belgium, JUNE 19, 2003 (Zenit.org).- It is essential that the European Constitution make a reference to the contribution of Christianity — and a reference to God “would be appropriate” too, say the continent’s Catholic bishops.
This conviction was expressed in the evaluation made by the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) of the draft Constitution, which will be presented Friday at the summit of European Union heads of state and government, in Salonika, Greece.
In the document presented today, the bishops express their appreciation for the efforts made to complete the work of the European Convention, which is drafting the Constitution. They also applaud the positive aspects of the draft.
In particular, the COMECE document explains, the bishops “regard the invocation of Europe’s religious heritage as a significant advance for the EU and welcome the fact that the values and objectives of the future EU correspond to the Social Teaching of the Church.”
The bishops also greet with approval the draft Constitution’s section on the democratic life of the Union, especially the proposed Article 51, “which guarantees the European Union’s respect for the status of Churches and religious communities in the Member States based on their different constitutional traditions.”
But the bishops want the preamble of the Constitution improved. Although this was done, to a degree, with the removal of references to the Greek and Roman civilizations and to the Enlightenment, it continues to omit the contribution of Christianity, the prelates say.
“In our view, however, an inclusive reference to the contribution of Christianity, without which Europe would not be what it is today, remains essential,” they say. “Moreover, we believe that the reference to ‘responsibilities towards the Earth’ raises questions as it seems to personalize the Earth.”
“Likewise, the identification of Europe as a ‘special area of human hope’ would seem to require qualification as it suggests an overly Euro-centric worldview,” they add.
“Along with many of our fellow citizens, we also continue to believe that a reference to God should be included in this constitutional text as a guarantee of the freedom and dignity of the human person. We think that this completion is necessary and could be achieved without discriminating against anyone,” they conclude.
