KENILWORTH, 2 FEBRUARY 2003 — The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has called on the European Union to resist pressure from religious organisations to have an exhortation to God and an acknowledgement of Europe’s “religious heritage” included in the new constitution.
An EU committee is currently formulating a new constitution that will cover the soon-to-be-expanded Union. The committee is under pressure from religious organisations – particularly the Vatican – to include in the first article of the new constitution an acknowledgement that “God” is central to Europe and that the Union owes its success to its “religious heritage”.
In a letter to the committee, GALHA secretary George Broadhead says: “As far as homosexuals are concerned, the ‘heritage’ of religion in Europe throughout the centuries has been one of persecution. The continued waning in observance of religion in Europe has resulted in increased secularisation of morality and public life. This has been achieved by the will of the people through democratic means, and it is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
“Naturally, religious interests regret this loss of their power and are anxious to regain it, but they should not be allowed to do this at the expense of peace and unity in a diverse Europe. Religious references will inevitably lead to division and disagreement and so, in the interests of all citizens, the references to God and religion should be rejected.”
Mr Broadhead said: “It is essential that the EU remains secular. Within a couple of years many other Catholic countries will gain membership, and this will strengthen the hand of the Vatican, with its grotesquely anti-gay agenda. The Pope is pushing for more influence in the EU’s decision making processes. It is important that he does not succeed. Homosexuals throughout Europe have looked to the EU to put right the many discriminations that existed. The last thing we need is for religion to reassert its influence. It would be a retrograde development that would create conflict and retard progress.”
The full text of GALHA’s letter follows:
We call for the rejection of the proposed inclusion of a reference to God or our “religious heritage” in the preamble to the new Constitution of the European Union. As far as homosexuals are concerned, the “heritage” of religion in Europe throughout the centuries has been one of persecution. The continued waning in observance of religion in Europe has resulted in increased secularisation of morality and public life. This has been achieved by the will of the people through democratic means, and it is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Naturally, religious interests regret this loss of their power and are anxious to regain it, but they should not be allowed to do this at the expense of peace and unity in a diverse Europe. Religious references will inevitably lead to division and disagreement, and so, in the interests of all citizens, the references to God and religion should be rejected. Religious institutions already wield power out of proportion to the support they have, with the Vatican acting as a sovereign state, albeit one that extends to just a few hectares and is solely populated by celibate males. The “sovereign state” status was accorded to the Vatican quite unjustifiably by the United Nations. In the UN, the self-styled Holy See seeks to impose its ultra-conservative and cruel doctrines. The effects of its lobbying and privileged influence extend to populations way beyond just practising Catholics.
And even millions of liberal Catholics are ashamed of the Vatican’s machinations. Through its influence at the UN, it has restricted the availability of condoms in Africa, so abetting the growth of the AIDS pandemic. The very future of several countries in Africa is threatened as the economically most active class has been decimated by this disease. The Vatican also sought to block the provision of emergency contraception to women in the Balkans raped by enemy soldiers, and agitates ceaselessly to prevent the provision of abortion and contraceptive facilities to women in developing countries, thus fuelling world over-population.
The suffering callously and deliberately meted out to homosexuals by the church over the last millennium is immense. Many gay people have been murdered or incarcerated for consensual acts just as natural to them as those celebrated between married persons of the opposite sex. The church’s ‘holy books’ and doctrines have promoted homophobia among the populace as a whole. This has led to societal persecution on a scale greater than for any other oppressed group, except perhaps the Jews.
Nor should we overlook such cruelty on the basis that less was known about the nature of homosexuality in the past. There was never any excuse for such barbaric cruelty, especially by institutions which purported to be the sole arbiters of morality. And even now that more is known, and homosexuality is regarded by the medical profession and the wider populace as a legitimate and harmless difference in behaviour, most churches treat gay people, at best, as second-class citizens. Many, like the Roman Catholics and Anglican evangelicals would still deny them any sexual gratification whatsoever – while in some Muslim countries they are executed.
This kind of ‘morality’ is an abuse of human rights and of human decency. To include references to God or “our Christian heritage” would be to start turning back on our 500-year journey from the Enlightenment. Instead, we should be proud of our progress, and growing humanity.
Once more, we request that the Constitution remain a secular document that will ensure that all citizens of the EU are equally included and none have privilege.
We support the Constitution including wording along the following lines: “The Union is founded on the principles of secular rule of law: freedom, equality, democracy and pluralism. It guarantees the respect and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Yours sincerely,
George Broadhead
Secretary