Recommendation
1556 (2002)[1]
Religion and change in
central and eastern Europe
2.
The Assembly has also persistently expressed its awareness of the need to
ensure or restore harmonious relations between religious institutions and
states. This is an essential part of securing such basic human rights as
freedom of conscience and religion, religious
tolerance and the protection of individuals and communities against all
forms of religious persecution. These issues are specifically dealt with in Resolution
916
(1989) on redundant religious buildings, Recommendation 1202
(1993) on religious tolerance in a democratic society, Recommendation
1222
(1993) on the fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance,
Recommendation 1396
(1999) on religion and democracy, and Recommendation 1412
(1999) on the illegal activities of sects.
4.
More recently, socio-religious developments in the post-communist countries
have been marked by the emergence of fundamentalist and extremist
tendencies, active attempts to make religious slogans and religious
organisations part of a process of military, political, and ethnic
mobilisation in the service of militant nationalism and chauvinism, and the
politicisation of religious life.
6.
The new religious freedom and the removal of barriers to the dissemination
of ideas and beliefs, including religious beliefs, have forced the churches
of central and eastern Europe to face religious differences. Weakened
in the past and never having functioned in a climate of political, cultural
and religious pluralism, the traditional churches of the region now find
themselves in conflict with newly-arrived foreign missionaries and new
religious movements. So far, the problem remains unsolved of striking a
balance between, on the one hand, the principles of democracy and human
rights, of freedom of conscience and religion, and, on the other, the preservation of national
cultural, ethnic and religious identity.
7.
The disappearance of the iron curtain has made the religious and cultural
divide in Europe more apparent, and has even aggravated it. Europe’s two
Christian cultures – western and eastern – know very little of each
other, and this ignorance is a very dangerous obstacle on the path to a
united Europe. As Pope John Paul II has repeatedly said, Christian Europe
must breathe with both its lungs, eastern and western. Similarly, adherents
of the two Christian traditions show little interest in Jewish culture, such
an integral part of European heritage, or in Islamic culture, which is
becoming increasingly a part of the European scene.
Legal
guarantees and their observance
i.
to promote conformity of national legislation with the European
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,
paying special attention to Article 9, which states that religious
freedoms shall be subject only to limitations prescribed by law and
necessary in a democratic society, and to the ruling of the European Court
of Human Rights (1983) that restrictions on human rights must be motivated
by a “pressing social need”, and be “proportionate to the legitimate
aim pursued”;
ii.
to guarantee all churches, religious associations, centres and communities
the status of legal entities, if their activity does
not violate human rights or international law, and in particular to
press the Government of the Republic of Moldova to register the
Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia according to the decision of the
European Court of Human Rights of 13 December 2001;
iii.
to take effective action to guarantee the freedom of religious minorities,
especially in central and eastern Europe, with special emphasis on
protecting them against discrimination or persecution by religious
majorities or other groups practising aggressive nationalism and
chauvinism;
iv.
to activate the normal procedures provided for in national law in all
cases where religious freedoms are proved to be abused in a manner harmful
to the community, or to the rights, freedoms and health of individuals;
v.
to guarantee to religious institutions, the assets of which were
nationalised in the past, restitution of such assets within a certain
time-limit or, in cases where this is impossible, fair compensation; due
care must be taken to prevent privatisation of nationalised church
property;
vi.
to offer to mediate between conflicting parties, in cases where the latter
accept this, for the purpose of settling disputes, while taking care to
ensure that government bodies do not interfere in dogma or other internal
religious matters;
vii.
to ask the European Convention to include European religious traditions
into the preamble of the future European constitution, as the foundation
of human dignity and human rights and of the ethical roots of European
identity;
Culture,
education and exchange
viii.
to devise communication strategies and to develop the necessary activities
in the field of cultural exchange, making people in different countries
mutually aware of their cultural achievements;
ix.
to co-operate with the church authorities in identifying and sharing their
responsibilities, such as in maintaining historic buildings and in
religious education, and in promoting joint discussion of the major
social, moral, ethical and cultural issues which modern societies face;
x.
to include information on Europe’s main religious cultures and practices
in school curricula;
xi.
to support the activities of non-governmental organisations working to
strengthen mutual understanding between religious groups, and protect the
religious cultural heritage;
xii.
to take action to secure equal access to the media, education and culture
for representatives of all religious traditions;
xiii.
to encourage the setting up of special centres to promote
interconfessional relations, and also the exchange of exhibitions and
fairs, centred on cultural heritage, masterpieces of religious art and
books, and helping people to familiarise themselves with Europe’s
various religious cultures;
xiv.
to promote exchange programmes to give students, research workers and
artists a full picture of the ethical, moral and cultural values of Europe’s
religions;
xv.
to encourage the development of cultural itineraries in Europe and linking
Europe with neighbouring countries so as to reflect and develop past
perspectives and new possibilities of cultural communication;
xvi.
to provide public libraries with publications, which detail the cultural
achievements and beliefs of the various religious traditions;
xvii.
to promote scientific research aimed at uncovering the shared roots of
Europe’s various cultures and fostering a better understanding of the
ways in which they interrelate and complement one another.
1.
Assembly debate on 24 April 2002 (13th Sitting) (see Doc. 9399,
report of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education,
rapporteur: Mr Baciu).
Text
adopted by the Assembly on 24 April 2002 (13th Sitting).
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