European Convention & Religions - San Rossore Statem ent - final version

The reunion of the Convention and the perspective of a Constitutional Treaty opened a large scale debate on the place and the role of different
Religions in the future of the EU.
This is not surprising at all. The Convention is ,amongst the many bodies and levels of “Europe”, the place where future plays the greatest
role. It is Europe’s future which challenges the Religions, not the quarrels of the past. The religions, often misused in conflicts, have never had
a common political framework committed to p eace as the space for living together.
Sharing such a perception, a little group of European representatives of different academic disciplines, diverse in their spiritual orientation
and religious adherence, debated on July 14-15 the issues related to this historical moment and its challenges.
We share a vision of the situation and three broad topics on what could be important for European citizens – who is not often persuaded that
Religions as such could be considered the best protector of rights and values, even if these are deeply rooted in a long religious past, in which the
idea of man as a creature of God has been fundamental to develop the very idea of human rights.

Status quæstionis
Various States and history have tried, in their basic laws, to deal with violence and values nurtured inside religious experience by shaping
the relation between Religion and State: the three main forms are separation, bilateral agreement, a national Church.
The protection of individual religious rights, acknowledgment of the inability of the State to determine doctrinal questions, the selective
collaboration b etween Religions and States – these are today concerns for all the member and/or candidate States. The diversity of their resolutions
to these issues have long histories and should be respected.
These perspectives define some common European features of protection of religious conscience and freedom.. It t is clear that one cannot
simply work with a ‘cocktail’ of juridical systems, choosing elements from one or the other, in elab orating the relig ious land scap e of Europe’s
future.
What is necessary is a careful and pragmatic observation of needs at the European level.

Europ ean Identity & Values

The EU Religions are aware of the heavy legacy they are carrying from the centuries, up to the turning point of W orld W ar 2 and the Shoa’.
This rupture and other tragic events revealed how fragile abstract provisions on political and religious values can be, even today.
The development of the European Union in the late 20th Century made it clear that the profile of Europe itself should take into consideration
the specificity of its religious bodies.
Religions can now contribute to defining the new Europe in fostering human rights and in proclaiming that these rights are not a threat to their
views. These rights are rather a p rotection to all human beings sharing a convivial European space.
For this reason, it’s important to sup port the insertion of the Charter of Fundamental Rights into the future European Constitution: not because
it is perfect, but because of its appeal to human rights and the relevance of shared values.

Function ing of EU -Religions relation ship

Religions do not need the Convention to provide complex systems to regulate the interface between their representatives and EU institutions.
Several articles in existing Treaties already allow the Religions to address the Commission and the Parliament.
When reflecting on governance, the EU Commission already recognizes religious communities as partners of dialogue. This dialogue needs
to be enhanced and better structured.
This dialogue should be carefully fostered in order to give expression to the specific content and perspective of Religions, and in order to make
the experience of otherness fruitful in the European Union..

Basic legal framework

The inclusion of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, with a further specific guarantee of religious freedom and equality of individuals, in a
constitutional text would provide a ground for a peaceful future.
The basic legal framework of the Religions and communities of belief in the E U should also grant self-administration of communities in the
context of fundamental human rights and foster co-operation in building a pluralistic and democratic society.
This would enrich as such the freedom of the European society, and would say that Religions acknowledge European space of interreligious
“conviviality” as a proper way to live together.

San Rossore, July 14, 2002