BARCELONA, Spain, JAN. 6, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The president of the European Commission says the future European Constitution should not exclude cultural and religious traditions, especially the Christian, which forged the continent.
In a letter to the Convention of Christians for Europe, Prodi expressed his “appreciation” and “support” of the meeting, which was held here Dec 6-8 and culminated in the Barcelona manifesto (see http://www.eurocristians.org).
“In the process of construction of the new Europe, no one can remain on the margin or be unknown, to say nothing of excluded; the cultural and religious traditions cannot be neglected, especially the Christian, which has been and is indispensable for defining the memory and future hope of Europe,” Prodi stated.
“In Europe, the future of Christianity is closely linked to that of the challenges of the Continent, as well as to its responsibilities before the world in this historic moment,” he added.
According to the commission’s Italian president, the European Union “must demonstrate to the world that there is a democratic and civil way of administering globalization, stemming from democracy itself, stability and peace.”
“In order for this to be possible, we need all the values of our tradition: the secular and religious,” Prodi concluded.
In response to those who believe that the Constitution should be “neutral” and not mention religion, the convention participants said that “neutrality does not consist in denying the social dimension of the Christian conscience of the majority of the people of Europe, but in recognizing it, together with other religious and non-religious global conceptions with which it dialogues, to obtain the European common good and universal fraternity.”
