COMECE welcomes on Thursday 27 April 2023 the withdrawal of the proposed Danish legislation obliging Churches and religious communities to translate in the national language all sermons. COMECE President, Mgr. Crociata: “The draft bill would have had a negative implication for the protection of freedom of religion in Europe”.
External view of the Catholic Cathedral of Sant’Ansgario in the city center of Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo: Sergio Delle Vedove/Shutterstock)
COMECE expressed its concerns through a Statement of its Presidency published on 22 January 2021. While understanding the goal of preventing radicalisation and countering incitement to hatred and terrorism, COMECE believes this kind of instrument is not the right one to fight such phenomena. Any initiative concerning this area should avoid negative and discriminatory impact, particularly towards smaller religious denominations, often formed of immigrant communities.
“We warmly welcome the withdrawal of the draft bill, which would have entailed an undue hindrance to freedom of religion, a crucial pillar of the fundamental rights’ architecture”, stated H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, President of COMECE.
The positive outcome of the process is the result of multiple initiatives taken in the last two years by different Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church. A similar initiative was taken by COMECE in 2018 also in the context of a proposed ban on circumcision in Iceland.
COMECE will continue to monitor attentively national key initiatives that may have a broad impact on the free exercise of freedom of religion across the European Union.