The effort failed to persuade Europe Union leaders who approved a final draft last Friday that did not mention Christianity.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano sent a letter on Saturday to Prime Minister Marek Belka stating that he had “followed attentively the summit of the heads of state and government of the European Union” in Brussels.
“I should like today to express the sincere appreciation and gratitude of the Holy See as well as my own for the initiatives of Your Excellency and of the Polish government, during the negotiations and during the recent summit meeting, in support of the inclusion of a reference to the Christian heritage in the preamble of the treaty,” the Vatican secretary of state said.
“Even though the results fall short of what has been wished, it is important that this cause was promoted by some of the principal political leaders of the Union,” he added. “I should like, therefore, to acknowledge your contribution, faithful to the values most deeply rooted in the history of the life of the people of Poland.”
