God Is a Concept, Christian Roots of Europe

The EU has started discussing its future. Our take is that in order to be able to project itself in time and space, the EU needs to be at peace with itself and that most specifically includes its Christian roots and the role of religion in society. Until this is sorted out, there is no clear path forward.

During the efforts to draft a European Constitution, there were attempts to refer explicitly to the "Christian roots of Europe", including by Pope John Paul II. Partly, this push rallied around the opposition to Turkey's EU membership. These attempts failed, and so did the Constitution itself, although for reasons of a different nature altogether.

Today's ambition is different, Turkey is no longer on the EU enlargement agenda, but the challenge to be clearer about Europe's roots and essence remains the same. You cannot be a visionary about your future if you are confused about your past.

The conservative ECR group in particular is battling for the return to the Christian values of Europe. But they are not the only ones. Some political parties, including some of the most influential, describe themselves as Christian or Christian-Democrat. The European right is traditionally religious, unlike the left, but there are exceptions.

When the author of this brief once asked Jacques Delors about his political ideal, he said that he considers himself a Christian-Socialist, although such a party doesn't exist in France. But by confessing his beliefs, he also implied that religion was for him a deeply personal matter.

Religion is treated differently in EU member states. France is probably the EU champion of secularism, although this is seen by many as an attempt to limit Islamic religious symbols such as the scarf from public space.