European Commission holds minting of Slovakian euro bearing images of saints
CWN - June 18, 2013
The European Commission has ordered the National Bank of Slovakia not to mint new euros that would feature images of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the New York Times reports.Each member-state within the European Union has the authority to mint its own versions of the euro, incorporating its own national designs. But the European Commission ruled that the Slovakian design, hailing the 1,150th anniversary of Christianity in Slovakia, violated the principle of religious neutrality.
The controversy over the Slovakian coins is the latest in a series of disputes over the role of Christianity in the European identity. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI frequently observed that the shared Christian culture is the foundation of European identity, and without that common culture the European Union will be bound only by shifting economic interests.
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