Religion in the European Union

The three predominate Christian confessions in EU^{[citation needed]} :

  Catholic Church

  Orthodox Christianity

  Protestantism and Anglicanism

The most common religion in the European Union is Christianity, although many other religions are practiced as well. The European Union is officially secular, though some member states have state churches: these are Malta (Roman Catholic), Greece (Eastern Orthodox), Denmark (Lutheran), and part of the United Kingdom - England (Anglican). In recent times, there has been an increase in secularisation in most countries in EU^{[citation needed]}resulting in fewer adherents and decreased church attendance

.

Religions

Santa Maria della Salute, Venice.

The most common religion in the EU is Christianity. The largest denominations of Christianity in Europe are Roman Catholicism, followed by a wide range of Protestant churches (especially in northern Europe) and Eastern Orthodoxy (in eastern Europe).^[1]

Judaism has had a long, and frequently dark, history in Europe. Prior to the Holocaust, the area of the European Union had a Jewish population of 5,375,000; it was largely exterminated in German Nazi death camps. In 2002 the EU had a Jewish population of barely over a million, including about 519,000 in France and about 273,500 in the United Kingdom (compare with about 5.8 million Jews living in Israel.^[2]). In view of the history of persecution of Jews in Europe, antisemitism remains a matter of attention within the EU.^[3]

Immigration has introduced other religions into European countries, most notably Islam. It was estimated that the Union's Muslim population in 2009 was 13 million people.^[4] The country with the largest percentage of Muslims in Western Europe is France with 8%-10% (6-7 million) followed by Germany (4.5 million), the UK (1.6 million) and Italy (1.5 million),.^[5] Aside from Turkey, the only possible future member to have a majority of Muslims is Albania, although other Balkan states like Bosnia and Macedonia also have sizeable Muslim populations.^[6] Kosovo is also Muslim majority area.

A Muslim Imam at Speakers' Corner in London

Suspicions of Muslim populations have risen in some Western European countries such as the UK, where 38% see Muslims as a threat to national security. In France, on the other hand, only 21% see Muslims as a threat to their society and 52% say the Muslim community has been unfairly criticised. In both countries however less than a quarter approved of faith schools and a religious presence in schools and workplaces, while in Italy this is not considered to be a problem.^[7][8] In the Netherlands, there is a slim majority stating they have an unfavourable view of Muslims. A series of clashes and incidents connected to the religion have occurred in recent years, including: the murder of Theo van Gogh by Mohammed Bouyeri, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy with continuing attempts to kill the cartoonist, and numerous terrorist attacks in the UK such as the 7 July 2005 London bombings.^[9] In response to Islamic extremism, some figures, such as Justice Freedom & Security Commissioner Franco Frattini, have suggested creating a "European Islam" - a branch of the Islamic faith that is compatible with European values.^[9]

Due to the rise of other religions, and some intolerance towards them, the Commission now regularly meets with different religious leaders.^[10] In November 2005, a delegation from the European Humanist Federation was invited to a meeting by Commissioner-President Barroso. This was the first time a humanist group had been consulted in this manner by the Commission. President Romano Prodi has refused such meetings, despite meeting various religious leaders, causing some resentment by humanists.^[11]

Other religions present in the EU territories include Buddhism, Hinduism and Neopaganism.^[12] Neopaganism is a movement that revives and reinvents (in its reconstructionistic approach) the ancient pagan spiritualities of the European peoples.^[13] Neopagan religions are legally recognised by the governments of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.^{[citation needed]}

Church and State

The EU is a secular body, i.e., there is a separation of church and state. There are no formal ties to any religion and no mention of religion in any current or proposed treaty.^[14] Discussion over the draft texts of the European Constitution and later the Treaty of Lisbon have included proposals to mention Christianity and/or God in the preamble of the text. This call has been supported by Christian religious leaders, most notably the Pope.^[15] However explicit inclusion of a link to religion faced opposition from secularists and the final Constitution referred to Europe's "Religious and Humanist inheritance". A second attempt to include Christianity in the treaty was undertaken in 2007 with the drafting of the Treaty of Lisbon. Angela Merkel promised the Pope that she would use her influence during Germany's presidency to try to include a reference to Christianity and God in this replacement for the constitution. This has provoked opposition, not least in the German press,^[16] and as this inclusion may have caused problems in reaching a final agreement, this attempt was given up.^[17] Of the Union's 27 states, only four have an official state religion, these being Denmark (Church of Denmark), Greece (Church of Greece), Malta (Roman Catholic Church) and England in the UK (Church of England). Some other churches have a close relationship with the state.^[18] Until 2000, the Church of Sweden was the state church of Sweden and while never accepting the status, the Church of Scotland was often considered to be the Established Church in Scotland, until the position was clarified finally in Parliament in the 1920s.

In the secularising EU, The Vatican has been vocal against a perceived "militant atheism". It based this on a number of events, for example: the rejection of religious references in the Constitution and Treaty of Lisbon, the rejection by Parliament of Rocco Buttiglione as Justice Commissioner in 2004,^[15] while at the same time Parliament approved Peter Mandelson (who is gay^[19]) as Trade Commissioner, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.^[15] The European Parliament has also been calling for same-sex marriages to be recognised across the EU.^[20] Meanwhile, states such as Latvia and Poland^[21] have rejected legislation designed to stop discrimination against homosexuals. This has been stated to be on religious grounds, with homosexual behaviour described as "unnatural", and the Catholic Church influencing public opinion. The difference of opinion between these countries and Brussels has been damaging relations.^[18][22]

Secularisation

There is increasing atheism and agnosticism among the general population in Europe, with falling church attendance and membership in many countries.^[23][24] The countries where the fewest people reported a religious belief were Estonia (16% professed belief in a God) and the Czech Republic (19% professed belief in a God).^[25] In such countries, even those who have a faith can be disdainful of organised religion.^{[26][unreliable source?]} The most religious societies are those in Malta with 95% (predominantly Roman Catholic), and Cyprus and Romania both with about 90% of their citizens believing in a God. Across the EU, belief was higher among: the elderly, those with strict upbringings, those with the lowest levels of formal education, those leaning towards right-wing politics, those questioning the meaning and purpose to life, and those more concerned with moral and ethical issues in science and technology over risk-benefit analysis.^[25]

In 2008, the highest ever number of births outside of marriage were recorded in the European Union, just short of 37%, up 13 % compared to the year 1995 with first-births out of wedlock and cohabitation figures being even higher. Five EU countries recorded a majority of births outside of marriage - these are Estonia (59.1%), Slovenia (54.1%), Sweden (54.6%), France (51.3%), and Bulgaria (51.1%). These countries tend to be less religious ones (less than half of the population believing in a God) whereas half of the European population believes in a God.^[27]

Religiosity

Most EU countries have experienced a decline in church attendance, as well as a decline in the number of people professing a belief in a God. The Eurobarometer Poll 2005 found that, on average, 52% of the citizens of EU member states state that they believe in a God, 27% believe there is some sort of spirit or life Force while 18% do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or Life Force. 3% declined to answer. According to a recent study (Dogan, Mattei, Religious Beliefs in Europe: Factors of Accelerated Decline), 47% of Frenchmen declared themselves as agnostic in 2003. The situation of religion varies between countries in European Union. A decrease in religiousness and church attendance in western Europe (especially the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and the Czech Republic) has been noted and called "Post-Christian Europe". Several of these countries have recently allowed same sex marriage despite massive resistance from the Catholic Church and other religious groups. Also in the most populous eastern Europe country and EU member Poland there has been a sharp reduction in church attendance since 2005, although with 41.5% in 2009^[28] still well above the single digit figures that are so typical for Sunday mass attendance in other EU countries.

Belief in a God per country (Eurobarometer 2005)

Belief in a spirit or life force per country (Eurobarometer 2005)

No Belief in a spirit, God or life force per country (Eurobarometer 2005)

The following is a list of European countries ranked by religiosity, based on belief in a God, according to the Eurobarometer Poll 2005. The 2005 Eurobarometer Poll asked whether the person believed "there is a God", believed "there is some sort of spirit of life force", "didn't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".

See also

• Culture of the European Union
• Fundamental Rights Agency
• European Union – Holy See relations
• LGBT rights in the European Union
• Christianity in Europe
• Islam in Europe
• List of religious populations
• Major world religions
• Christianity by country
• Islam by country
• Buddhism by country
• Hinduism by country
• Judaism by country
• Irreligion by country
• Great Synagogue of Europe

References

v t e European Union topics History Timeline Pre-1945 1945–1957 1958–1972 1973–1993 1993–2004 since 2004 Predecessors European Coal and Steel Community (1951–2002) European Economic Community (1958–1993/2009) Euratom (1958–present) European Communities (1967–1993/2009) Justice and Home Affairs (1993–2009) Details Governance Institutions Parliament European Council Council of Ministers Commission European Court of Justice Central Bank Court of Auditors Agencies European Banking Authority Eurojust Europol Frontex Environment Reconstruction Disease Prevention and Control External Action Service Maritime Safety Politics Elections European Parliament constituencies European Parliament groups Political parties Enlargement ('95 '04 '07) Integration Pro-Europeanism Euroscepticism Foreign relations Euromyth Law Acquis Competition law Copyright law Directive Journal Government procurement Four freedoms (Labour mobility) Procedure Regulation Schengen Agreement Charter of Fundamental Rights Treaties (Opt-outs) Enhanced co-operation Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Geography Borders Extreme points Largest municipalities Largest urban areas Largest metropolitan areas Larger Urban Zones Member States Special territories Regions Economy Currencies Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Common Fisheries Policy Budget Euro Central Bank Investment Bank Investment Fund Eurozone Energy Regional development Single Market FTAs Solidarity Fund Transport (Galileo system) Culture Citizenship (Passports) Demographics Driving licence Education Institute of Innovation and Technology Laissez-Passer Languages Religion Sport Holidays Telephone numbers Symbols Statistics Douzelage Lists Agencies Councils Directives Political parties Presidency Tallest buildings Vehicle registration plates Acronyms, jargon and working practices Theory Supranationalism Intergovernmentalism Supranational union Multi-speed Europe Eurosphere Optimum currency area Portal