Central European Initiative - Meeting at the Prague Parliament - Prague, Czech Republic

Central European Initiative Meeting at the Prague Parliament Challenges and Opportunities of Our Time Prague, Czech Republic, 25. November 2016

participants attended the event, Federation‘s Czech chapter, the Hans

U By Juraj Lajda nder the auspices of Hon. Nina including historians, lawyers, political Seidel Foundation and the European Nováková, Member of the scientists, social activist, and several Women’s Union. Czech Parliament, an students. This was the final of a series Several steps led up to the conference: international conference on the of programs that included two round finding common ground between topic “Challenges and Opportunities table discussions in Vienna and experts, politicians and civil society of Our Time” was convened at the Budapest, in July and October 2016 representatives; setting up a working Parliament of the Czech Republic on respectively. The conference was group on issues of religious freedom in November 25, 2016. Over 50 supported by the Universal Peace the Czech Parliament; expanding the initiative to neighbouring Central European countries. At the round table in Vienna, a memorandum was framed that specified three topics of concern for Europe: protecting the natural family, re-affirming European cultural identity, and upholding the freedom of conscience, thought and conviction, with an emphasis on religious freedom. These three themes became the basis of the Prague event. The theme of the first panel was: “The Family: Obvious Foundation or a controversial issue? “ Professor Lenka Šulová from Charles University’s Faculty of Philosophy in Prague said that we need to create a society and policies that are supportive

elections on the European continent. Dr. Roman Joch, President of the Civic Institute in the Czech Republic, reviewed the five major influences that shaped European culture: Judaism, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Christianity and the Enlightenment, underlining how each value system eventually shaped Europe as we know it today. Mr. Jacques Marion, Secretary General of UPF Europe, noted that the decline of Christianity in Western democracy meant that equality before God was replaced by equality before the law, leading people to focus on claiming rights and inciting a tendency toward conflicts of interest. Europe needs a spiritual revival to build an ethical society in a multicultural context, he concluded, beginning with strengthening the family. of the family, describing current factors and disinformation war led by Russia in The last panel on “the Role of contributing to family breakdown: the region, the goal of which he said Religious Freedom to address unstable relationships, easy divorce, was to destabilize the European Union. Current Problems” was moderated by women’s high employment, emphasis He then showed participants a Mr. Peter Zoehrer, Secretary General on individualism or growing wealth. documentary film on the war in of the Forum for Religious Freedom Dr. Ludmila Trapková, a clinical and Chechnya. Dr. Alyn Ware, a global Europe (FOREF). family psychologist, spoke of the coordinator of the Parliamentarians for Dr. Aaron Rhodes, President of family as a psycho-social organism. Nuclear Non-Proliferation and FOREF, began by quoting former Absence of complementarity between a Disarmament, pointed out that current Czech president Václav Havel’s words masculine and a feminine pole causes conflict between Russia and the West that terms such as love, compassion or problems for the child. Divorcing raise the danger of war and nuclear forgiveness are losing their meaning in breaks a husband - wife partnership but conflict, and called on European modern time. Religion should be not the parent – child relationship, she institutions to do their utmost to stop it. independent from the state, but the concluded. Mr. Jan Gregor, vice- Nuclear war is meaningless he principle of Moses law is that all people president of the Young Christian concluded; since 1945 nuclear weapons come under one God. Human rights are Democrats, underlined the reproductive have not been used. Dr. Juraj Lajda, derived from natural rights. We should purpose of the family, saying it should UPF Secretary General in the Czech recognize the pre-eminence of religious be recognized as a biological construct, Repulic, concluded the panel by freedom, he insisted. Gay marriage not just as a social one. The last speaker introducing the launch of the rights, for instance, should not interfere on the panel was Mrs. Jana Jochová, International Association of with the freedom of religion. Dr. Director of the Committee for the Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Harald Scheu, from Charles Defence of Parents‘ Rights and an Korea in February and in London in University’s Faculty of Law in Prague, active supporter of the „Mum, Dad and September 2016. concluded the panel saying that Kids“ campaign. She spoke about The third panel focused on the theme religious freedom was not only an parents‘ rights and responsibilities in “European Culture: Hope for individual freedom, but was meant to children’s education. The state cannot Future? “ guarantee the whole concept of human substitute for parents, she insisted, rights. Yet there is today a secular because the family is based on lineage. Mr. Jiří Georgiew from Charles monopoly on the interpretation of University’s Faculty of Law gave a human rights. Good and evil merely The second panel, on the theme concise overview of Central European “Living Safely, A Basic Human become a matter of political choice: history, remarking that European choosing a political party makes you a Necessity “, was moderated by Mr. cultural heritage in the Visegrad Four Radko Hokovský, Executive Director good or bad person, he deplored. nations deserved to be noted by of a think-tank on European values. Western European countries. Dr. Each panel gave ample time for Hon. Jaromír Štětina, a Czech Jaroslav Šebek, from the Czech questions and comments from the member of the European Parliament, Academy of Sciences, spoke about audience. The conference was reported spoke about security perils in Europe, current affairs in Europe, underlining on the TV evening news, as well as on mentioning among others the hybrid the influence of Brexit and American Christian media.