Sustaining God and faith

There has been much less heat than anticipated over the question of whether the preamble to the EU constitution should refer to God, Christianity or both. Catholic Church leaders have expressed regret but not in condemnatory terms. The language of the bishops of Malta and Gozo was stronger than most. They "deplored the fact that the new EU constitution fails to mention the Christian roots of Europe". They were reiterating the thoughts of Pope John Paul II's, who had said that "we cannot be cut from our roots".

That done, the bishops, like the Holy See, expressed satisfaction that the EU members had approved the new constitution as part of the integration of Europe.

The Bishops' Conferences of the European Community too welcomed the agreement reached by the European Union. That was the welcome extended "first and foremost" by its secretary general, who saw the constitution as "marking a major step forward in the development of the European Union".

The European bishops said that the significance of the constitutional treaty lay in the fact that it redefined the democratic mission of the Union. "It identifies clearly the values and objectives, rooted in its common heritage, that guide the EU..." The bishops welcomed, in particular, the way the treaty recognised and embraced religious freedom and the role of religious communities in public life.

In words that confirm that the separation of Church and state, for so many years such a disastrously divisive issue in Malta, the European bishops felt the constitution "guarantees both respect for diversity and dialogue between religious institutions and the political authorities. By balancing a spirit of openness between the religious and the political with the proper separation of the two spheres," the secretary general said, "Article I-51 embodies a new, inclusive approach to governance fit for the challenges of European society in the 21st century".

The European bishops noted positively the treaty's revised preamble, as representing a more balanced and accurate account of the source of the Union's values. "By referring in its opening words to Europe's cultural, religious and humanist inheritance the constitutional treaty emphasises the formative role of this inheritance of which Christianity is an essential part for today's Europe," the BCOEC secretary general said.

He did regret - but did not "deplore" - the fact that the EU's leaders failed to arrive at a compromise "that would have explicitly recognised the undeniable contribution of Christianity and other traditions".

The issue may remain a talking point for some time but not one to engender division. Those charged with revising the unaccepted drafts, I feel, came up with a reference in the preamble that, indeed, had greater meaning and was also far more elegant than the earlier version.

The original draft of July 2003 had put it as follows:

"Drawing inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, the values of which, still present in its heritage, have embedded within the life of society the central role of the human person and his or her inviolable and inalienable rights, and respect for law."

The final revised text agreed upon on June 16 says:

"Drawing inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, from which have developed the universal values of the inviolable and inalienable rights of the human person, democracy, equality, freedom and the rule of law."

The secretary general of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community interpreted that with diplomacy and tact. "...the Union's values as described in Article I-2, above all respect for human dignity, have been inspired by Christian thought," he said.

It would not be difficult to polemicise that the beautiful thoughts and teachings of Jesus, though they inspired many thinkers and led to his values becoming broadly enshrined, were not invariably honoured and practised by so-called Christian nations, not infrequently towards sectors of their own people and Christian adversaries and towards followers of other religions.

While polemics would not be productive, it remains a fact that the European Union already embraces a diversity of believers and that will grow with enlargement, especially if and when Turkey joins as well. A broad reference to "religious" values, however each faith present in the Union interprets it, was a good way forward. After all, God and faith do not require constitutions for sustenance.