According to Zenit International News Agency, the President of the European Commission Mr Romano Prodi says that the future European Constitution should not exclude cultural and religious traditions, especially the Christian, which forged the continent.

In a letter to the Convention of Christians for Europe, Mr Prodi expressed his appreciation and support of the meeting of the Convention, which was held in Barcelona on 6-8 December 2002 and culminated in the ‘Barcelona manifesto’. ‘In the process of construction of the new Europe, no one can remain on the margin or be unknown, to say nothing of excluded; the cultural and religious traditions cannot be neglected, especially the Christian, which has been and is indispensable for defining the memory and future hope of Europe,’ stated Mr Prodi. ‘In Europe, the future of Christianity is closely linked to that of the challenges of the Continent, as well as to its responsibilities before the world in this historic moment,’ he added.

The European Union ‘must demonstrate to the world that there is a democratic and civil way of administering globalization, stemming from democracy itself, stability and peace,’ said Mr Prodi in his letter. ‘In order for this to be possible, we need all the values of our tradition: the secular and religious,’ he concluded.

In response to those who believe that the Constitution should be ‘neutral’ and not mention religion, the Barcelona manifesto said, in particular, that ‘neutrality does not consist in denying the social dimension of the Christian conscience of the majority of the people of Europe, but in recognizing it, together with other religious and non-religious global conceptions with which it dialogues, to obtain the European common good and universal fraternity.’

Mr Prodi’s letter to the Convention of Christians for Europe is to be seen against the background of an ongoing dialogue between European religious leaders and politicians about the inclusion of a reference to religion in a European Constitution.

On 3 January the Vatican again signalled that the future European Constitution must respect the community of believers and recognize their contribution to society and their legal status. This was manifested during the exchange of ideas between Pope John Paul II and Patrick Cox, President of the European Parliament, who was received in audience with his wife and 12-member entourage.