It makes a change from the normal Brussels diet of farm subsidies, eurozone deficit rules and waste directives. But talks about God and His place in the scheme of things, federal or otherwise, are not easy.
Thus it was, in the profoundly unspiritual setting of the European Union's bunker-like council of ministers building, that 13 worthy Europeans yesterday began what promised to be a heated debate about whether divinity of any kind merits a mention in the union's future constitution.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, president of the convention on the future of Europe, was in the chair to discuss article 2 of the draft treaty relating to the values and beliefs of an EU of 25 members.
No theologians were involved, but the 13-strong praesidium of the convention includes former prime ministers from Italy, Belgium and Ireland, as well as Gisela Stuart, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, who are all well qualified to debate this divisive issue.
Views about God's place in Europe's constitution matter greatly to countries with strong religious traditions but doubting governments are mindful of the continent's 10 million Muslims and other religious minorities. They want to keep the Lord out of the European project, favouring a form of words referring to universal values.
Religious and secular groups have made submissions to the 105-member convention, but some of the latter have pointed out that in Europe's bitterest struggles, those who claim God is on their side have not always been on the side of the angels.
"Many of our values were forged against the church," observed the Spanish socialist Josep Borrell Fontelles, "and when it comes to democracy, the rights of man and equality, God is only a recent convert."
Even the Pope has become involved, calling for a "clear reference to God and the Christian faith".
Unusually for Brussels, compromise seems unlikely. "Putting God into the constitution is simply in the 'too difficult to agree category'," one diplomat said. "Therefore there will probably be nothing."