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Skriven 2005-05-17 08:27:48 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

CHRISTIANITY HAS HAD A PRE-EMINENT ROLE IN EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2005 (VIS) - Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for
Relations with States, participated in the third Summit of Heads of State and
Governments of the Council of Europe, which is being held May 16-17 in Warsaw,
Poland.

In his address in English, the head of the Holy See delegation underscored the
theme of the session, European unity and European values, affirming that
"Europe will be loved by its citizens and will serve as an agent of peace and
civilization in the world only if it is animated by certain fundamental values:
the promotion of human dignity and fundamental human rights, ... in the first
place freedom of conscience and religion; the pursuit of the common good in a
spirit of solidarity; and respect for national and cultural identity."

"The pre-eminent role that Christianity has played in forming and developing
this cultural, religious and humanistic patrimony is well known to all and
cannot be ignored."

Archbishop Lajolo indicated how the challenges that European society must face
"derive from the great world-wide problems handed down from the twentieth
century: the nuclear threat, ... the emergence of forms of political and
religious fundamentalism, large-scale migration of peoples and certain
situations of dangerous instability," such as those "in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
in the Kosovo region, both of which are in need of a reliable solution, which
cannot be reached without providing effective guarantees for minorities."

The secretary for Relations with States also highlighted the need for "a better
coordination of European organizations," and indicated that "the experience of
the Council of Europe is particularly important because it sketches the
outlines of what could become a blueprint for European society."

He concluded: "Regarding the European Union, it is in the juridical sector in
relation to human rights that one finds further concrete possibilities for
closer institutional cooperation. The common commitment to corroborate the
human rights and the legal protection of European citizens - reaffirmed by the
will of the European Union to adhere to the European Convention for the
protection of human rights and fundamental liberties - must be given adequate
expression in the propositions to be presented by the Coordination Group
created in December 2004."
DELSS/EUROPE/WARSAW:LAJOLO VIS 050517 (380)

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