Colloquy on questions related to state and religion

Strasbourg, 27 February 2007  

Council of Europe, Room 9

Introduction

Further to its work on freedom of expression and religious beliefs in 2006, which included a debate by the Assembly Standing Committee (March), a Committee hearing in the French Senate (May) and a debate in the Assembly and the adoption of Resolution 1510 (June), the Committee on Culture, Science and Education is now preparing a series of reports and other related activities under the general theme of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

The reports, all due for debate at the June 2007 part-session, are on New steps in the field of intercultural and interconfessional dialogue and The relations between state, religion and the individual - rapporteur, Mr de Puig, Spain, SOC; on Blasphemy, religious insults and hate speech against persons on grounds of their religion - rapporteur: Mrs Hurskainen, Finland, SOC and an opinion on European Muslim communities confronted with extremism – rapporteur for opinion: Mrs Damanaki, Greece, SOC. Another related report, but not for debate in June, is on the dangers of creationism in education – rapporteur: Mr Lengagne, France, SOC.

In order to prepare a basis for these reports the Committee decided to hold a colloquy to exchange views with those who are concerned with this issue, persons from different religious faiths, historians, philosophers and lawyers, on 27 February 2007 in Strasbourg.

Draft programme

10 am               Opening of the colloquy by Baroness Hooper, Vice-Chair of the Committee

                        Introductory statements by:

-          Ambassador Guido Bellatti Ceccoli, President of the Ministers’ Deputies

-          Ambassador Eleonora Petrova-Mitevska, Chair of the Committee of Ministers’ Rapporteur Group on education, culture,  sport, youth and environment

-          Mr Pierre Corneloup, Mayor of Montchanin, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

-     Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

10.30 am          First working session: the formal relations between states and religions

                        (legal recognition of the status of religions, religious law as part of state law

financial arrangements)

Contributions from:

-          Mr Frank Cranmer, University College London

-          Professor Talip Kucukcan, Political, Economic and Social Research Foundation, Ankara

-          Mr Didier Leschi, Head of the Bureau central des Cultes, French Ministry of the Interior

11.30 am          Second working session: the limits to state intervention

                        (education,  freedom of expression, matters of dress, holidays and food, ownership                         of property)

Key-note speaker:  Mr Lluís Maria de Puig, rapporteur

Contributions from:

-          Professor Antonio Maria Baggio, Gregorian University, Rome

-          Mrs Vera Pegna, European Humanist Federation

Blasphemy:

-          Mrs Sinikka Hurskainen, rapporteur 

-          Professor Louis-Léon Christians, expert to the Venice Commission

                        General debate

12.30 pm          Lunch break

2.30 pm            Second working session (Contd)         

                        Creationism in education:

-          Mr Guy Lengagne, rapporteur  

-          Mr Jacques Arnould, Centre National des Etudes Spatiales, France

                        General debate (continued)

3.30 pm            Third working session: the contribution of religions to governance

Contributions from:

-          Mrs Janine Elkouby, Israelite Consistory of the Bas-Rhin

-          Father Bernard Senelle, Dominican Order, Strasbourg

-          Hegumen Philaret (Bulekov), Russian Orthodox Church, Strasbourg

-          Imam Abdelhamid Youyou, Strasbourg Grand Mosque

-          Mr Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society, United Kingdom

                        General debate

4.30 pm.           Fourth working session: relations between religions and the Council of Europe

                        (formal and informal aspects)

Introduction by Pastor Richard Fischer, Conference of European Churches

Contributions from:

-          Ambassador Christian Ter Stepanian, Chair of the Committee of Ministers’ Ad hoc reflection group on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue

-          Mrs Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Coordinator for intercultural dialogue

General debate 

5.30 pm            Closing of the colloquy