Benedict XVI – the Eurosceptic pope

By John Coughlan

Date: 21/04/05

Pope Benedict XVI's election could mark a sea-change in the relationship between the Roman Catholic church and the European Union.

Joseph Ratzinger's election has divided both the Catholic church and the wider world. In political terms, Europe may well feel it the hardest. Instead of one of the great champions of European integration, we now have a pope who is sceptical about its value for Europe's soul.

His name is significant. Saint Benedict, the founder of western monasticism in the sixth century, is one of the patron saints of Europe. So we can assume that Europe's spiritual health will never be far from his mind. On the other hand, the congratulations sent by world leaders contained coded appeals for Benedict XVI to continue his predecessor's commitment to human rights and social justice, rather than to concentrate on doctrinal discipline.

What matters for the EU is not so much the pope's conservatism but the way in which he practises it. The influence of teaching over ethically controversial legislation should not be underestimated. We can expect that it will become even stricter and that Catholics in public life will come under greater pressure to follow it.

The church is clear-cut on most moral issues but can communicate in ways that leave more or less room for dialogue and compromise. As spokesman for the Catholic bishops' representation to the EU, I once talked to the European Parliament's intergroup on gay and lesbian rights about Cardinal Ratzinger's document on homosexual unions. What struck me was not the distance between the two points of view (they approached the issue from completely opposing perspectives and so inevitably reached opposing conclusions), but the damage done to dialogue by the cruel, clinical language used in the Vatican's document.

This pointed to a lack of consideration for the pastoral implementation of church doctrine. It is a characteristic that distinguishes Benedict XVI from his predecessor, for while John Paul II undoubtedly shared such strong views, his great charisma and energy appealed to people of all persuasions. Ratzinger's reputedly warm personality has been hidden behind cold, written declarations. His lack of appetite for dialogue extends to the highest echelons of the Church: when in 2000 he published Dominus Iesus, a document that offended many other Christians, the Vatican's department for ecumenical relations was not even consulted.

Many Catholic politicians will be more worried about the narrowing of their freedom to reconcile personal beliefs with public responsibilities. Rocco Buttiglione, in his infamous remarks to the European Parliament, was arguing that he could distinguish between his religious convictions and his duty to serve the EU as a whole.

In Benedict XVI's view, however, "no Catholic can appeal to the principle of pluralism or to the autonomy of lay involvement in political life to support policies affecting the common good which compromise or undermine fundamental ethical requirements". Who defines those "fundamental ethical requirements"? Ratzinger has shown little inclination to let individual consciences decide.

The EU will probably feel the most immediate impact of this papal election in its constitution referenda. Catholic Eurosceptics have mobilised anti-European sentiment in referenda on the Nice Treaty in Ireland, on EU accession in Poland and on the constitution in Spain (where they called on the faithful to abstain).

Benedict XVI shares their fears that the EU is promoting a liberal, secular agenda at odds with Christian values. On aspects of the Charter of Fundamental Rights he said: "With this tendency we go outside of the whole moral history of humanity." He goes further than many Church leaders, who regard the failure to mention God or Christianity in the constitution as a betrayal of Europe's Christian identity, by identifying the accession of Turkey as part of the same trend. He has rarely mentioned how the constitution promotes the role of religion in public life.

John Paul II's unqualified support for the European project helped to keep Catholic Euroscepticism in check. The EU was the political realisation of his metaphor that Europe needed to breathe with two lungs: East and West. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski has warned of the effect on domestic public opinion of losing this great advocate of European integration, and Ratzinger's election will further strengthen Catholic Eurosceptics across the continent.

Benedict XVI has been described as a transition pope who will ensure continuity with the legacy of John Paul II. In terms of the Church's long-standing support for the European project, though, his papacy could signal a more lasting change.

• John Coughlan is a former spokesperson of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community. He writes here in a personal capacity.

Analysis feature in which the author, who is a former spokesperson of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, discusses the stance towards European integration of newly elected Pope, Benedict XVI.