Pope’s call for ‘Christian values’ in EU constitution under attack

Date: 04/07/02

By Simon Coss and Martin Banks

ANTI-racism groups have reacted angrily to calls from Pope John Paul II for the EU Convention to ensure that any future European constitution contains a clear reference to Christian values.

The ailing Polish pontiff referred to discussions taking place at the Convention on Europe's future during a meeting with France's new ambassador to the Vatican, Pierre Morel.

The 82-year-old Pope said: 'How can we not mention the decisive contribution of the values which Christianity espouses and that have contributed to strengthening culture and humanism of which Europe feels legitimately proud and without which its most profound identity could not be understood?'

His remarks, confirmed in a statement issued by the Vatican, drew a critical response from France's main anti-racism lobby, the Mouvement Contre le Racisme et Pour L'amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP). Its director, Mouloud Aounit, told European Voice that the comments were 'extremely worrying'.

'Since 11 September there has been a serious rise in Islamophobia in Europe and instead of trying to calm the problem, he is just making things worse. We should be trying to build a Europe based on universal values like human rights,' he said.

The European Network Against Racism described the Pope's comments as unhelpful and inaccurate. 'There is no denying that Christianity has made a 'decisive contribution' to European identity, but then so has Judaism, the older brother of Christianity, as the Pope called it himself; the tolerant Islam of al-Andalus, which transmitted Greek thought to Europe; and, to a lesser extent, other religions,' said ENAR spokesman István Ertl. 'We feel that the mention in an EU constitution of any specific religion, or indeed God, would be discriminatory with regard to those who do not share the same beliefs,' he added.

However, the Pope's views were backed by two of the Convention's most senior members, deputy chairman Jean-Luc Dehaene and Spanish MEP Iñigo Méndez de Vigo. Dehaene, Belgium's former prime minister, said: 'This is, of course, a very sensitive area. However, I welcome the Pope's contribution and I am sure it will be discussed. I would probably generally favour what the Pope says, although I think the final reference we will make in the treaty will be more to spiritual values.'

Méndez de Vigo, who sits on the Convention's praesidium, said: 'You would expect the Pope to say something like this. However, it is worth pointing out that a reference to Christian values is already included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and most Convention members favour the Charter being incorporated into the constitutional treaty which we expect to draw up next year. I think it is important to make reference to values generally.'

The French foreign ministry made it clear that Paris would not try to persuade the Convention to take a more pro-Christian line. 'Europe is not a Christian club,' a diplomatic source told European Voice. 'All religions have an equal right to be respected and one should not be given greater prominence than all of the others. That is the French position,' he added.

In recent weeks, there has been intense speculation that the Pope, leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics and now in the 24th year of his reign, might retire due to his poor health. He has been stricken by Parkinson's disease, an illness which attacks the central nervous system and affects speech and movement, for nine years, and also suffers from arthritis.

One of the Pope's most senior advisors, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, recently told a German newspaper that he would 'surely' retire 'if he sees he absolutely cannot go on'.

If John Paul II does stand down, he would be the first Pope to do so since Celestine V in 1294. However, he recently said he intended to continue in his ministry and his remarks on the Convention indicate that he remains acutely aware of current issues.

The Pope is due to embark on a ten-day trip to Canada, Mexico and Guatemala on 23 July.

Anti-racism groups have reacted angrily to calls from Pope John Paul II for the EU Convention to ensure that any future European constitution contains a clear reference to Christian values.