The churches write to Giscard” “

The Christian churches have written to the president of the Convention on the future of Europe, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, to ask for recognition in the future constitutional treaty of the European Union. The letter dated 27 September bears the signature of Msgr. Noël Treanor, general secretary of COMECE (Commission of the episcopates of the European Community) and Keith Jenkins, assistant general secretary of the Conference of European Churches (KEK) and chairman of its “Church and Society” Commission. The right to religious freedom The churches ask the Convention on the future of Europe to consider the contribution of the various religious confessions to the construction of the Union. Bearing this contribution in mind they invite the Convention to insert the following statements in the future treaty: First, “The European Union shall recognize and respect the right of the churches and religious communities freely to organize themselves in accordance with the national laws, their convictions and their statutes and to pursue their own religious aims in conformity with fundamental rights”. Second, “the European Union shall respect the specific identity of the churches and religious communities and the contribution they make to public life, and maintain a structured dialogue with them”. The Convention is then asked to insert a third affirmation in the future constitutional treaty: “The European Union shall respect and not prejudice the status of the churches and religious communities as prescribed by the legislation of the member states. The Union shall also respect the status of the philosophic and non-confessional organizations”. In particular, in the letter sent to Giscard d’Estaing, the Christian churches of Europe recall the need for “the right to self-determination and the safeguard of their own religious, liturgical, charitable, cultural and pastoral activities to be guaranteed”. This request is motivated by the fact that, according to COMECE and KEK, these liberties are not “explicitly guaranteed” by art. 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union nor by art. 9 of the Council of Europe’s European Convention for the safeguard of human rights, since these instruments “primarily regulate individual rights”. Yet “associating with others in communities according to one’s own convictions and acting in conformity with them is an essential element of religious freedom”. A “structured dialogue” is needed The letter emphasizes that “in view of their involvement at the local, regional, national and international level, in various fields, from social policy to immigration, from peace to education, the churches and the religious communities may make a major contribution to dialogue and to the promotion of values in politics”. A “structured dialogue” thus becomes an “essential element of democratic society characterized by the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights and does not prejudice the status of the churches and religious communities prescribed by the legislation of the member states”. But “the philosophic and non-confessional organizations” cannot remain excluded from this dialogue: the letter asks that their status “be equally respected by the Union”. It may be recalled that on 25 June Keith Jenkins had intervened on behalf of all the Christian churches in the course of the plenary session of the Convention on the future of Europe, dedicated to listening to civil society (cf. SirEurope no.25 of 27 June 2002). “The European Union – Jenkins declared – must be a community of values”. He also asked the Convention that the future constitutional treaty incorporate what is provided by declaration no. 11 of the final act of the Treaty of Amsterdam, namely the pledge of the EU to respect the “status of the churches, religious associations and communities, and non-confessional bodies just as they are recognized by each member state”. This request is repeated in the recent letter to Giscard d’Estaing. Daniele Rocchi