Advocates of a liberal, secular Europe worry for the future
AROUND 15 years ago, when the machinery of the European Union was being refashioned into its present form, one of the hottest debates concerned what role, if any, would be set aside for God. The Vatican and some mainly Catholic states, like Poland, wanted theistic language in the EU’s constitutional treaty; a secular camp led by France was opposed.
Despite this sparring, the pompous expression “cultural, religious and humanist inheritance” does actually correspond to something real. Whether they are on the Christian Democratic centre-right or the generally more secularist centre-left, most European politicians, and ultimately their voters, have in recent years shared many common ideals: a belief in a universal franchise, freedom of speech, the rule of law and due process, and antipathy to racism.
One of the developments that troubles Mr Ercolessi and his fellow humanists is the rise across Europe of the populist, xenophobic right, which often dresses itself in religious or Christian-nativist clothing, even though its leaders are not usually very devout. Parties of roughly that stripe have already taken centre-stage in Hungary, Italy and Austria. In last month’s European elections the nationalist right made substantial gains in Britain and France.
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