Four Roman Catholic countries yesterday demanded a specific reference to Christianity in the EU's historic first constitution.
But despite heavy lobbying by the Pope and Christian Democrat parties, a draft of the document presented to EU leaders yesterday contained no mention of Christianity.
Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland have called for a rethink when the final version is thrashed out. While politicians have fretted about questions of national identity and federalism, many Catholics have focused on religion, saying Europe should remain firmly rooted in its Christian heritage. A small minority of Europeans are regular church-goers, particularly in Protestant countries where less than 10 per cent attend regularly. In Catholic countries the figure is closer to 20 per cent. - (Reuters)