15/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - During meetings with Silvio Berlusconi and other members of the Italian Presidency in Rome on 14 October, representatives of the CEC and COMECE (Christian Churches in Europe) reiterated their priorities for the future European Constitution, according to a press release. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, renewed his appeal for an explicit reference to Europe's Christian roots in the preamble to the Constitution, and insisted that subsidiarity be respected. The chairman of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, Givoanni Federico Long, stressed the importance of legislation guaranteeing the freedom of religion. The Christian Churches also listed as their priorities: respect for human life in scientific progress, the protection of human rights, and the protection of refugees' rights in particular.