Perplexities of CEC and COMECE about the draft Treaty” “

The Presidium of the European Convention has approved the draft preamble of the future constitutional Treaty of the European Union. No explicit reference to the Christian roots of Europe is made in the text. The Rev. Rudiger Nöll, director of the Church and Society Commission of the CEC, the Conference of European Churches (including Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches), and Msgr. Noel Treanor, Secretary General of the Commission of the Episcopates of the European Union (COMECE), issued the following statement. “The Presidium proposes a preamble to the Constitution that recognizes in an inclusive manner the contribution of the religious heritage of Europe – of which Christianity forms the greatest part – by specifying the common values that are at the basis of the process of European integration. A Europe that were to fail to recognize its past, repudiate the religious phenomenon, and have no spiritual dimension, would be decidedly impoverished and unequal to the ambitious project that may mobilize its energies: constructing a Europe for everyone. We renew our appeal to the members of the Convention to find the inspiration and courage in the course of the weeks ahead to work in the search for a final consensus. And we equally encourage the heads of state and of government of the European Union to address a strong signal to the citizens of Europe by reinforcing the Institutions of the future Union in a balanced way”.