Don't put saints on your euros, Slovakia told

You don't have to be Slavic to know about Saints Cyril and Methodius, but it helps. Cyril and Methodius were brothers, born in Thessalonica (in modern-day Greece) in the 9th century A.D. They became missionaries bringing the Gospel of Christ to the peoples of eastern Europe, particularly Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs".

The Carpathian Basin, in which Cyril and Methodius travelled and preached, includes modern-day Slovakia, where the saints are highly revered. That's why, when Slovakia became a separate country and joined the euro zone, its government decided to honour the saints on its coins.

Sadly, the Slovaks are being made aware of the doggedly secular humanist policies of the European Union. The European Commission -- the bureaucrats in Brussels -- has now ordered the National Bank of Slovakia not to mint new euros that would feature images of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.


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, going back over 1100 years, violates the EU principle of "religious neutrality" -- freedom from religion.

The controversy over the Slovakian coins is the latest in a series of disputes over the role of Christianity in the European identity. See "A More Secular Europe, Divided by the Cross", from the New York Times.

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. But is the European Commission listening? Errr, no.