Cooperation agreements between religion and State should be established in the European Union in order to stop the downward trend of social freedom. Furthermore, the right to conscientious objection must be protected so as to ensure the moral freedom of individuals and the democratic system itself. "This was stated by José Luis Bazán, counsel for the Commission of Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), during a seminar at the Institute for Culture and Society, at the University of Navarra, which was organized by the project.'"Religion and Civil Society"

In his opinion, the panorama of religious practice in Europe "is becoming more complex," in part due to immigration: "The arrival of a considerable number of immigrants of Islamic religion to Europe in recent decades has increased the number of Muslims to over 17 million, with a growing presence in countries such as Belgium, France, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, Holland and Germany.

"Thus, there are places" where the Muslim community is growing exponentially "and are forming "true ghettos", he added. As an example, he mentioned Brussels, where over 20% of the population is Muslim. "This is also evident in both Holland and France. Serious problems exist in Sweden, especially in Malmö, where members of the Islamic community are showing increasing hostility towards the Jewish minority," he said.

Secularism and religious diversity

With regard to the perception of Islam within Europe, José Luis Bazán stressed that the existence of  "extreme radicals", inside and outside Europe, "does not help improve the overall image of Muslims.  "Many Europeans are wondering why the leaders of Islam do not speak out against the atrocious acts carried out by fundamentalist groups when they occur." Moreover, he added that in Europe, there is a growing general belief that "the European social and cultural norms are not always respected by the immigrants, especially by the Muslim immigrants, thereby resulting in a certain degree of rejection towards this community."

Together with Islam, Jose Luis Bazán said that in Europe "certain Eastern beliefs that fit in quite well with the relativistic fashions and the culture boom of self-help" are proliferating.

He also noted the arrival of many Christian immigrants from Latin America, Africa and even Asia, who are exerting an increasing influence. "They manifest strong, deeply-rooted Christianity and are avid practitioners. They largely contribute to the revitalization of some Christian communities that had lost their original strength."

José Luis Bazán stressed that this panorama of religious diversity "is being used by the secularism to deny Christianity its primordial importance in Europe.  Therefore, he reported that "intolerance against Christians in public space is growing; this is evidenced by the increasing number of cases of Christians having to go to the court to defend public expression of their beliefs."