Draft European Constitution Is “Ridiculous,” Says Papal Spokesman

Lisbon, Jun. 6 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) – Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls has characterized the draft version of a new European constitution as “ridiculous.”  The director of the Vatican press office, interviewed on Portuguese radio, offered the sharpest criticism to date of the draft constitution that was unveiled on May 28. Echoing the critiques put forward by other Church officials, but using stronger language, Navarro-Valls argued that there is no excuse for the omission of Christianity from a list of the factors that have contributed to a common European culture.  Navarro-Valls said that Vatican diplomats are vigorously involved in efforts to correct that omission, seeking amendments to the preamble of the draft document. “For the moment,” he pointed out, “the preamble is only a project, and thus it can be changed.”“We are now speaking with the leaders of many countries,” the Vatican spokesman continued. He reported that “the reaction from some of them has been very positive regarding the prospect for an amendment.”