Brussels, 24/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - In a statement published before the Thessalonica European Council, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) welcomes the outcome of the European Convention. The Catholic bishops of Hildesheim, Josef Homeyer, Rotterdam, Adrianus van Luyn, and Clermont, Hippolyte Simon, are particularly pleased with the incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the draft Constitutional Treaty and call for the EU to join the European Convention on Human Rights as soon as it has legal personality. They express reservations, however, about the preamble to the draft Constitution: “The final draft of the Preamble is an improvement on the original proposal made by the Presidium of the Convention. By removing the references to Greece, Rome and the Enlightenment, the historical inaccuracy of omitting Christianity has been corrected. In our view, however, an inclusive reference to the contribution of Christianity, without which Europe would not be what it is today, remains essential. Moreover, we believe that the reference to "responsibilities towards the Earth" raises questions as it seems to personalise the Earth. Likewise, the identification of Europe as a "special area of human hope" would seem to require qualification as it suggests an overly euro-centric worldview. Along with many of our fellow citizens, we also continue to believe that a reference to God should be included in this constitutional text as a guarantee of the freedom and dignity of the human person. We think that this completion is necessary and could be achieved without discriminating against anyone.”