The Relationship between Church and State in Europe

The Church and State 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall was the central theme of the annual Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE), held from October 1st to 4th in Paris. The topics covered included the concept of the laity, the anthropological and philosophical bases of the relationship between religion and state, religion and law, gender ideology, and the bioethical issues in the legislation of European countries. The members of the council discovered that the juridical, social, and economic relationships between church and state are quite diverse within Europe itself and vary according to each nations tradition and culture; thus, there is no common model that safeguards all of the countries. At the same time, the European Union cannot regulate matters which form part of the scope of each member state's own competence.During the Plenary Assembly the different models of the secularization of the state were examined more closely. It was seen, furthermore, that the state is not capable of determining the meaning of human life, nor of dealing with questions that relate to the phase antecedent to the individuals birth or the stage posterior to their death.On this subject, Cardinal Péter Erdő, the president of the European Bishops Conferences, emphasized:¨We ourselves, the religious communities, are the ones who can offer a vision of the world; we can also transmit this vision in a communal way. And without a vision of the world, without a set of values, a judicial system is not capable of functioning either. The alternative, therefore, is anarchy.¨ In the news release at the end of the Plenary Assembly of the 37 European Bishops Conferences, the bishops reminded that ¨the edification of Europe is an adventure that is worth living.¨The president of the Council of European Bishops Conferences expressed his opinion about how to help this come about: ¨The Spirit comes first and then later the material circumstances change. Therefore, first there has to be a conversation that comes from our hearts and then later a new missionary activity as well, because we live in a society in which many people do not know anything about the Gospel. We have to fulfill our mission as Christians with seriousness and joy.¨http://www.ccee.ch/

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