European Union debates role of religion. (Around the World).

Members of the European Union are considering whether the union's yet-to-be-formed constitution should pay homage to God.

The 15-member EU, which is set to admit 10 more countries this spring, has found itself being lobbied by the Vatican, as well as a host of other religious entities, to include in its constitution a reference to God or Christianity. According to a Feb. 5 article from the International Herald Tribune a debate has erupted over God's place, if any, in the EU's governing document.

The IHT reported that language had been drafted for a section of the future constitution about European values, which contained a reference to God. The statement reads, "The union values include the values of those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty as well as those who do not share such a belief but respect these universal values arising from other sources." Supporters of the God reference include delegates from Poland, Italy, Germany, and Slovakia.

The Vatican is also weighing in on the debate. According to media reports, Pope John Paul II has lobbied EU officials to support a reference to Christianity in their forthcoming constitution.

On Feb. 6, the draft language for the EU's constitution was released containing no reference to God. An unnamed, "official source" in the Vatican told Agence France-Presse that the proposed text was "totally unsatisfactory, not only for reasons which have already been pointed out by Pope John Paul II, but also because it is against the wishes expressed by many European countries."

The debate, however, is still roiling. The delegates are now calling for the future constitution's preamble to include a religious reference.

"If you look at the last 1,000 years of history in Europe, the role of Christianity is an important thing," Polish delegate Edmund Wittbrodt told the IHT. "It should be somehow mentioned in the constitutional treaty."