http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/84F1EECD-2378-4F01-ADD7-B09BDF1C204D.
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Leaders of the 15 European Union countries and 10 acceding states were
meeting in Rome on Saturday to launch efforts to finalise the text of the
bloc's first constitutional treaty. Inclusion of God Another key issue
confronting ministers is that of religion. The constitution's preamble
refers to the EU's cultural and spiritual heritage but does not mention God
or Christianity, the dominant religion on the continent.
British FM Jack Straw sees religion as a thorny issue Under strong Vatican
pressure some Roman Catholic countries, especially Poland, Spain and Italy,
are pressing for a more explicit mention of Europe's religious roots. This
is contentious in strictly secular states such as France and could also
become an issue given largely Muslim Turkey's desire to start EU accession
talks. Britain's foreign minister, Jack Straw acknowledged on Saturday that
calls for the inclusion of God in the constitution could yet produce
problems. "It could be an issue which helps Europe come together. It could
be a divisive one. It depends on the text. We shall have to wait and see,"
he told reporters. (I have only copied the good bits, if you want the full
article its at the link above).
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