ROME - For all the grandiose speeches about political unity at the signing of the European Union's first constitution in Rome on Oct. 29, it was a bronze sculpture that spoke volumes about the bloc's current identity crisis.
A statue of Pope Innocent X loomed over 25 EU leaders as they signed a constitution that does not mention the continent's Christian roots. The Vatican's repeated calls that it do so did not succeed. Instead, the statue was a reminder of Europe's spiritual past at a time when many conservative critics are contending that secularism is getting out of hand.
Their suspicions were reinforced when a Roman Catholic Italian minister withdrew his candidacy for a post with the European Commission after being criticized for calling homosexuality a sin and saying that women were better off married and at home.
Now, a rare debate over social issues has gripped the European Union and added some spice to what is often regarded as a flavorless technocracy. Some commentators say they hope it will prompt more people to take an interest in EU politics.
"It is much easier for regular people to care about religion and values than technical economic questions," said Luca Diotallevi, a sociologist at the University of Rome who has studied the role of social values and religion in Europe.
A strong secularism has dominated European political discourse since the original Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957, creating the European Economic Community, a forerunner of the European Union.
Because some of the union's pioneers were Catholics who believed the continent's common Christian roots stretched across national boundaries, the Vatican has long supported the experiment.
"The Holy See has always favored the promotion of a united Europe on the basis of those values that are part of its history," Pope John Paul II said after the signing of the constitution. "Keep-ing into account the continent's Christian roots means making use of a spiritual heritage that remains fundamental for the union's future developments."
The negotiations over the constitution included heated debates over whether Europe's Christian roots should be recognized in the document. In the end, the opponents prevailed.
"The European Parliament probably would have rejected Bush, but the American people have instead voted for him," Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian minister forced to step aside after failing to gain the support of his Parliament, said Wednesday in a statement. "America has shown itself more religious and more attentive to values than Europe."
Buttiglione has become something of an icon for conservative Catholics who contend that strict secularism is damaging Europe.
Some European political commentators warn that the battle over Buttiglione and the European constitution could undermine Catholic Church support for the European Union, but others, like Diotallevi, see a silver lining. "We will begin to discuss things that have long been taken for granted," Diotallevi said. "Religion was an issue we could not touch. Now, we're starting. We're not very good at it, but we're just getting started."