God's Place in Europe's Future Constitution

Amid the often mind-numbing details facing the drafters of the European Union's first constitution, a hot debate is taking place on the role of God in the document that will map an expanded Europe's future.

In drafts of the future European Convention released in February and last week, God was not mentioned in either the preamble, or in the article on values held by members of the EU. The drafts mention the Union is founded on the values of "respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy … and respect for human rights." God, or the region's Christian traditions are nowhere to be seen.

The omission has sparked a debate pitting secular countries like France and Spain against heavily Catholic countries in Eastern Europe as the convention's 105 drafters enter the final weeks of negotiation before the June 20th completion deadline. At stake are very basic questions on what makes a European, as well as the influence of the Christian church in a Europe that has a large Muslim population and might one day expand to include Muslim Turkey.

Vatican 'surprised' mention was left out

"Many of Europe's values -- respect for human life, the desire to protect the weak and the oppressed, equal treatment of women, the commitment to the rule of law -- arose in the course of a long history in which the influence of Christianity was very significant," wrote former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard recently. " But Europe also found a productive balance between church and state. Public powers should not depend or refer to any religious authority."

Pope John Paul, echoing the opinions of many of the new Eastern European members of the EU, says the convention should have some mention of Europe's Christian tradition.

"The absence of an explicit mention of Christianity was noted with surprise," said Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls in a statement on Friday. "We share the opinion of those authoritative members of the convention who have already proposed the inclusion of this element … out of respect for historical truth."

But balancing the requests of Christian states, as well as Jewish and other religious groups with countries like France that have a proudly-held tradition of secularism is proving difficult. The president of the convention on the future of Europe, former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, is reportedly not in favor of including a mention of God. Secularists believe modern Europe is past having to refer to its religious heritage.

Germany's delegate to the convention has already said that he believes God will not make it in. The statement was echoed by former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, on Friday.

Speaking outside an ecumenical church congress in Berlin, the former Chancellor said it would be difficult to pass such a request through with countries like France offering heavy resistance.