World News Desk – March 15, 2003
Posted/Updated: 2007-06-18 18:27:23
EUROPEThree Things Vatican Expects in European Constitution
According to Cardinal Sodano, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, the Catholic Church is looking for the following three issues to be covered in Europe’s upcoming Constitution:
Each church and/or religion must be free to organize itself within its ‘statutes and objectives’.
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The identities of each church and/or religion must be ‘safeguarded’, and dialogue between these institutions and the State must be maintained
Member states must ‘respect’ the jurisdiction of the church and/or religion, especially in regards to national legislation.
Cardinal Sodano pointed out that the inclusion of Europe’s ‘religious heritage’ is not the weightiest of matters. He went on to indicate that a recent poll taken in the 15 member states and the 10 applicant states, shows that 81% of the citizens identify themselves with ‘Christianity’. Sodano said, “To exclude this factor would be like constructing Europe without taking Europeans in due consideration. It would contradict the principles of genuine pluralism and, therefore, of a healthy democracy.”
Source: Zenit News Agency
