"Christian Representatives
Accept
Draft of Euro-Constitution"
"Growing Consensus on the Place
of Religion
in the Future EU"
("Zenit.org," May 27,
2003)
Christian
representatives accepted the changes made to the draft of the European
Constitution, particularly the reference to the recognition of the status
of
the Churches and religious communities.
The publication of the revised draft of the first part of the
Constitutional
Treaty was accepted in a joint statement issued today by the Reverend
Rüdiger
Noll, director of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of
European Churches (CEC), and Monsignor Noël Treanor, secretary-general of
the
Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).
CEC is a fellowship of 126 Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic churches from all countries of
Europe,
plus 43 associated organizations.
COMECE is a commission of the
Catholic
bishops' conferences of the member states of the European Union. The
conferences of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovakia,
Slovenia and Switzerland are associate members.
After congratulating the members of the European Convention for the work
achieved so far, the joint statement applauds "the amendments which
will
strengthen the Union's commitment to a social market economy and, in its
relations with the wider world, to promote peace, security, free and fair
trade, protection of human rights and respect for the principles of the
United
Nations Charter."
The Christian representatives also approved the last redaction of Title VI
of
the Constitution on "Democratic Life of the Union," which they
considered visibly improved.
"We welcome the growing consensus on the place of religion in the
future
EU as reflected by the amended draft Article 51 (previously Article
37),"
the statement continues.
"This article guarantees the EU's respect for the status of churches
and
religious communities in the member states based on their different
constitutional traditions," it adds.
"The provision for open, transparent and regular dialogue reflects
the
specific contribution of churches and religious communities, distinct from
secular authority, at the service of society as a whole," the
Christian
representatives clarify.
The statement ends with the hope that, over the next few weeks, the
members of
the commission will be able to reach a final consensus.
The draft of the European Constitution, presented on Monday and analyzed
by the
joint statement, does not include a reference to Europe's religious roots.
Members of the Presidium, an assembly of 105 representatives among whom is
Valéry Giscard dEstaing, president of the convention, have requested that
the
religious roots be mentioned in the Preamble.
In an interview Sunday with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera,
Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States,
said
that the preamble might be the proper place to mention the "religious
heritage, especially Christian" of Europe.
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