All-Party Working Group on Separation of Religion and Politics

DRAFT Report of the meeting of June 5, 2007, 12h30-14h00

Brussels, Room A8F388

 

 

Prepared by Elfriede Harth

Catholics for a Free Choice

Secretariat, All-Party Working Group on Separation of Religion and Politics

 

Participants:

1. Proinsias De Rossa (PSE-IRE)

2. Sophie in’t Veld (ALDE-NL)

3. Magda Kosane Kovacs (PSE-HU)

4. Karin Resetarits (ALDE-AT)

 

5. Jack Blackwell, DG Info EP

6. Colette Bouckaert, Assistant C. Gibault, ALDE-FR

7. Colette De Troy, European Women Lobby

8. Irene Donadio, IPPF-EN

9. Clotilde Foulquier, CARE

10. Signe Gaarde, Assistant B. Thomsen, PSE-DK

11. Anka Grzywacz, CFFC-Europe

12. Elfriede Harth, CFFC-Europe

13. David Kardos, Assistant M. Kosane Kovacs

14. Srd Klsevic, LYMEC

15. Mirja Leibnitz, Eurongos

16. Georges Lienard, European Humanist Federation

17. Ottavio Marzocchi, advisor ALDE

18. Thierry Massin, Assistant C. Gibault, ALDE-FR

19. Mariana Morgano, BEPA, EC

20. Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society

21. Owen J. Stevens, Centre Law and Religions

22. Hubert Tournès, European Network Church on the Move

23. Linda van Renssen, Assistant S. In’t Veld

24. Bernard Zahra, Parti Radical de Gauche

 

 

OUTCOMES

 

1. Dialogue of EU institutions with religious and non-confessional organizations

 

Religion and Politics is still very present on the EU agenda: the Presidency, the Commission and the Parliament met with 20 religious leaders on the issue of “human dignity,” on May 15th 2007, and the President of the European Parliament invited the Pope to address the European Parliament.

 

The chair of the Working Group addressed a letter to Mr. Pöttering questioning the privileged treatment of the Catholic Church, vis-à-vis other religions and non-confessional organizations. According to Mr. Pöttering, the invitation to the Pope was approved by the Presidents of all the political groups in the Parliament. Mr. Pöttering has agreed to meet the Working Group at their next meeting on July 3.

 

Another open letter was addressed to Mrs. Merkel, Mr. Barroso and Mr. Pöttering, in protest to the lack of neutrality of EU institutions, who met for the third time in a row with 20 religious leaders, all exclusively male, none representing progressive and liberal religious communities and churches, excluding once again humanists and secularists. Simultaneously, various religious leaders in Eastern European countries were giving homophobic hate speeches. The letter suggested that future meetings with religious leaders should include topics such as womens´ rights, LGTB rights and freedom of religion.

 

Religion and Politics is also prominent on the agenda of the Council of Europe (CoE) which has proposed to have a special (representative/participative) status for churches. The Holy See already has a representative status as it is a sovereign state.

 

Mr. van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE also invited the Pope. There has not been any response yet to the European Network Church on the Move´s protest letter. At the CoE intercultural dialogue appears to be equated with inter-religious dialogue, as could be seen in a conference in San Marino where secularists protested quite successfully against this. Several participants in the Working Group who are also active in the CoE, pointed out that they are engaged in reshaping the focus of the CoE on these matters by emphasizing the relevance of secularism in Europe and requesting that women’s rights, sexual and reproductive rights, and LGTB rights, are taken into account. In October 2007, an international, inter-convictional colloquium will take place under the auspices of a coalition of humanist and progressive religious organizations.

 

The debate on the Constitution or new EU Treaty was seen as an opportunity to be proactive concerning regulations on religions.

 

An example of the pressure on political authorities exerted by the Vatican in Europe was mentioned: the BBC film on Cardinal Ratzinger’s role in covering up the clergy pedophilia scandal that had recently caused great turmoil in Italy, with the Vatican unsuccessfully putting great pressure on Italian authorities to ban the projection of the film. It was suggested to show the film in the EP.

 

It was further pointed out that ALDE will host a conference in the European Parliament on euthanasia on July 5^th, and the importance of upholding secularism in order to advance this agenda.

 

 

2. The World Congress of Families in Warsaw (WCF)

 

Anka Grzywacz, member of the Catholics for a Free Choice European Advisory Group, attended the WCF on behalf of CFFC and presented her report. Under the auspices of the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society, a very conservative U.S. think tank, the 4th WCF took place in Warsaw from May 11-13.  

 

Poland was chosen for the gathering because of the country’s current political landscape; the ultra-conservatives wanted to support Poland as the “savior of a decadent Europe.”. Various VIP speakers cancelled their participation in the Congress. Among those scheduled who did attend was Anna Zaborska, chair of the EP’s Committee for gender equality. The Conference was not widely covered by Polish, nor by international media. 

 

The letter asking U.S. official Ellen Sauerbrey to withdraw as a speaker initiated by the Working Group and signed by 19 MEPs did get significant attention.  Young people were absent from the Congress, but many children had been brought by their parents.

 

LYMEC (European Liberal youth) highlighted an upcoming event on homophobia they are planning in Krakow.

 

The next Working Group meeting will take place on July 3 with Mr. Pöttering on EU dialogue with religious and non-confessional organizations.