Representatives of Churches and ecclesiastical personalities, women and men from the political world and academic professors gathered in Athens for three days within the frame of the Conference organised by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece dealing with the theme “Values and Principles for the building of Europe”. The Conference was attended by high-ranking representatives of the Greek State, ambassadors of European countries and many others. The Minutes of the Conference are to be published in Greek and English.

At the dawn of the European Union of the 25 member-states, 455 million Europeans gaze with hope at a political and human endeavour without precedent in the history of the entire planet: the singular undertaking of European integration. It is a happy coincidence that the Conference is taking place in the spirit provided by the liturgical period of Christ’s resurrection, during which Christians confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, having experienced as man death upon the Cross, chose to reign risen from the dead. More than ever before, Europe today needs to experience spiritual resurrection, to acquire a heart and a soul. At the present, the Christian Churches of Europe explicitly declared their decision to work together and with every person of good will in order to respond to the signs of the times by drawing from the resources of power provided by the grace of God and to give witness in conformity with the expectations of the people of Europe. It is thus unthinkable that the European Union would not establish, in the Constitutional Treaty being prepared by the European Convention, a regular dialogue with the Christian Churches.

This dialogue will serve as a tool for cooperation and progress for the benefit of all concerned. It will be a dialogue that attempts, among other things, to foster the principle of equality, which excludes all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national descent, physical handicap, religion or convictions. It will be a dialogue that will contribute to combating the ecological destruction that looms more and more threateningly. It will be a dialogue concerning the problems of bioethics. It will be a dialogue dealing with the problem of poverty, wherever it may appear on our planet.

Human dignity, freedom, democracy, respect for law and order and for human rights, peace, brotherhood and solidarity are recognised by all as basic values. However, the real and deeper meaning of these values – particularly in the frame of the European reality – cannot be understood independently from the Gospel of Christ, the role of which was not only significant but also decisive. Assuredly, the Gospel does not pertain exclusively to Europe, yet no one can deny that Europe is thoroughly permeated by it and the experiences that it has inspired. The Gospel has never levelled Europe’s cultural diversity, but has rather steadily enriched it. For this reason we believe that it is inconceivable for the European Convention not to make a clear and specific reference to Europe’s Christian roots in the Constitution that is to shape the European Union’s future in the years to come. This will provide the European Constitution with the needed historical depth.

The Christian Churches of Europe have a common awareness that they have a unique opportunity to advance towards a Europe whose unity and cohesion will be assured by values and principles and not by organised interests. In order to ensure this cohesion the cooperation of all is needed for the development of an authentic European education, an education that shall discourage ideological extremes while at the same time encouraging a new orientation of that system which begins with production and ends with consumption.

We consider that the introduction in the European Constitution currently being elaborated of a clause providing for the express reservation of member-states’ competences in the field of culture would be extremely useful. Such clause would categorically safeguard the linguistic, religious and cultural diversity of the European Union.