Symbol of freedom

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK – an organization that represents the active laity in the Catholic Church in Germany, in its dioceses and in the 120 associations present in the territory), the Semaines Sociales de France (SSF), the Italian Christian Workers Associations (ACLI) and a further three Catholic lay organizations in Poland, Croatia and Slovakia, were invited on 9 May as “third parties” to present a written memorandum to the European Court of Human Rights as part of the recourse against the Court’s sentence, brought by the Italian Government, with regard to the question of the display of the crucifix in public schools. On 31 May the text of this joint memorandum undersigned by these associations was published. The audience on the case was held in the Grande Chambre – highest appeal court – of the Court in Strasbourg on 30 June, but the Court has already made it known that from six to twelve months could elapse before its sentence is made public. “The Court must tackle the challenge of finding a delicate balance between three elements”, says the document presented by the network of associations IXE, Christian Initiative for Europe: “a balance between rights and interests of believers of different faiths and non-believers; a balance between fundamental individual rights and the legitimate interest of societies and states to preserve the religious heritage of a country and of Europe; and a balance between the formulation of standards for European human rights and the recognition of the wide diversification existing in Europe on how to treat religion in public education and in public life in general”. Having explained the significance of the crucifix for believers and the fact that it neither contradicts human rights nor contravenes the Convention that protects them, the document asks the Court “not to take any categorical decisions on the display of religious symbols in public schools, but to leave a margin of discretion to States in terms of the scope they consider appropriate to dedicate to religion and to the religious heritage of Europe”. The integral text of the memorandum can be accessed on the website www.zdk.de/erklaerungen (in English), and on http://acli.it (in Italian). On the case Sarah Numico on behalf of SIR Europe interviewed (in Italian). On the case Sarah Numico on behalf of SIR Europe interviewed Stefan Vesper, secretary of the ZdK.What’s the real role of Christianity today? “‘We ought to remind ourselves and all those who now look at the Church from outside how much that is good we have experienced through faith and communion, and how much that is good is done by believers’. These words pronounced by German President Horst Köhler at the recent Ökumenische Kirchentag, the ecumenical congress of Christians held in Munich in May, are an important appeal. In Germany, society and politics in particular have recognized the role of Christianity in the building of society and in the political life of the country. Recently Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed this in public, with very explicit words (‘The values on which German society is founded are undoubtedly rooted in Christianity’). I hope this recognition may also be expressed in an explicit way at the European level”.What are the challenges of dialogue between Christianity and secular and secularized culture in Europe?“I don’t think our main task should be waging war against secularization, secularism and those currents of thought and lobbies that often seek to hamper the work of the Churches. I think our task, as Christians and as Churches, is primarily that of performing our work well, in other words continuing to make our contribution and taking forward the responsibility we assumed in the world of social action, education and politics. Of course it’s important that we try to foster our work in relation to political life and in public opinion, by highlighting the values on which it is founded”.How can Christians today testify that the crucifix has a universal significance, and is neither discriminatory nor injurious?“As we wrote in the document presented at Strasbourg, the crucifix is a symbol of freedom and of liberation, not of discrimination. It is the sign of the boundless all-inclusive love of God for the whole of humanity. So it wants to be an invitation to a life characterized by mutual respect and love for everyone, even our enemies. Our task is that of explaining this message and bearing witness to it through our life and our action, both in private in our families and in social activities or in political involvement”.