David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, has described a decision by the European Commission to publish a diary that refers to Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim festivities but makes no mention of Christmas, or any other Christian holidays as “one more example of the drive to push Christianity from the public square.”
Speaking to ciNews, Mr Quinn said that the EU does not have a monolithic approach to this issue, but there are “definitely influential forces in the EU who seek this end, including in the European Commission.”
More than three million copies of the diary, intended for secondary schools, have been produced by the European Commission.
“Fortunately, the decision was condemned by members of the EPP, including Gay Mitchell,” Mr Quinn added. France and some Catholic groups also opposed the move.
France’s Minister of European Affairs Laurent Wauquiez attacked the diary.
At a press briefing on the subject, he asked, “Are we ashamed of our Christian identity? Are we ashamed that the Europe of church towers is the base of our European identity?”
Christians have been angered because the diary section for December 25 is blank and the bottom of the page with Christmas Day is marked only with the secular message: "A true friend is someone who shares your concerns and will double your joy.”
The Commission has responded by saying there will be no mention of any religious feast-days in the future.
Catholic lobby groups and Christian Democrat MEPs had already complained to the commission about its Christmas card for this year that bore the words "Season's Greetings" with no reference to Christianity.
Johanna Touzel, the spokesman for the Catholic Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, said the absence of Christian festivals as "just astonishing.”
"Christmas and Easter are important feasts for hundreds of millions of Christians and Europeans. It is a strange omission. I hope it was not intentional," she said. "If the commission does not mark Christmas as a feast in its diaries then it should be working as normal on December 25."
Martin Callanan, the leader of the European Conservatives, accused the commission of being concerned about sending propaganda gifts to youngsters than the true spirit of Christmas.
"Given that 2010 was the year when the EU was haunted by its own ghosts of the past, present and future, it comes as no surprise that the commission is turning into a bunch of Euro Scrooges.”
"Why is the commission spending money sending calendars to millions of schoolchildren in the first place? I'm sure that the children could manage without a present of this nature."
SIC: CIN/IE
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