No place for religion in EU constitution: the absence of God does not mean an absence of good. (Opinion).Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła has "expressed his deep disappointment" that the draft text of the European Constitution does not mention the contributions and role of Christian churches in the development of the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community . A statement from the Vatican released after the pope met with British prime minister Tony Blair Noun 1. Tony Blair - British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, Blair , said, "The Holy See expressed the wish for an explicit recognition of the churches and community of believers, as well as for a commitment by the European Union to maintain a structured dialogue with the churches." The convention responsible for drafting the constitution is currently discussing 1,100 amendments before its June deadline to present the final document to member states. The European Union is a historically unique enterprise by sovereign states <noinclude></noinclude>
The discussion of universal values is quite unsettled (often controversial), and therefore, can start from many different places: : peace, human dignity Human dignity is an expression that can be used as a moral concept or as a legal term. Sometimes it means no more than that human beings should not be treated as objects. Beyond this, it is meant to convey an idea of absolute and inherent worth that does not need to be acquired and , freedom, equality, solidarity, plurality, subsidiarity subsidiarity Noun the principle of taking political decisions at the lowest practical level Noun 1. subsidiarity - secondary importance subordinateness and democracy. Are these values Christian or otherwise religious? What sense does it make to speak about "Christian peace" or "Christian subsidiarity," or else Muslim or Buddhist human dignity? Why mention God in the EU constitution currently being drafted? This will be the first constitution adopted on European soil in the 21st century. The God of the Bible has given us Ten Commandments Ten Commandments or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. , and one of these prescribes that the name of God is holy and to be used with the utmost discretion. So many wars have been launched "in the name of God." The last wars on the European continent at the end of the 20th century were essentially still religious wars. Because I am a Roman Catholic, I cannot stress enough that I would feel profoundly betrayed if the EU constitution included a reference to specific religious values that would be taken as a signal that the current values of the European countries and communities are an outgrowth of Christian or religious roots. In many ways, the policies and values exemplified in modern law and practice in Europe are a clear departure from the rigid inequities and injustices that are still practiced in the name of religion, especially in the areas of gender, sexuality and reproduction. I would be appalled if the EU constitution would reflect or adopt "Roman Catholic human dignity" as the Vatican denies practically all human rights within its jurisdiction: gender equality, freedom to get married and have a family for its clergy, election of its leaders, and freedom of speech for its theologians. What value has human dignity for a violator of the Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as CRC or UNCRC, is an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. , like the Holy See, which has covered up for decades the sexual abuse of minors by members of its clergy? And why does the Holy See refuse to sign the European Convention on Human Rights “ECHR” redirects here. For the court, see European Court of Human Rights. The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR ? What do women gain from having religion mentioned in the constitution? Which religion in the world has to this date taken a lead in the promotion of women's equality and emancipation, in the promotion of women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and ? The source of legitimacy of a democracy is the sovereignty of the people. There are many other possible political regimes, based on other sources of legitimacy. Because we are a democracy, we are free to choose between democracy and another political regime, if the general consensus should be that another was more perfect or less imperfect. But if we decide that the EU should be a democracy, all other sources of legitimacy have to be excluded. To mention God in the constitution would be to discard democracy as our political regime. To abstain from mentioning God in our constitution does not mean that we faithful need to give up our belief that God is the source of everything: after all, democracy guarantees freedom of religion. But in order to ensure this freedom we must omit references to religion in general and Christianity in particular in the EU constitution. If God's name is not mentioned, all "constitutional" abuse of it will be avoided. And after all, persons of goodwill do not need God to be mentioned to do good--with or without a constitution. ELFRIEDE HARTH is the European representative of Catholics for a Free Choice Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is a pro-choice political organization whose founders hold the belief that "the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health. . She lives in Versailles, France. This article originally appeared in European Voice on February 6, 2002. |
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