[T]he proposed [European] Constitution ... incorporates ... Article 52, the intention of which is to guarantee excessive religious privileges and to confirm the power of the churches in EU institutions ... [T]hose who have the interests of secularism at heart are called upon to oppose this institutionalisation of church power, the object of which is to legitimise, perpetuate and even increase the anti-democratic privileges of churches and faith groups throughout the EU. If such a provision were to be adopted, no people, no nation, no State in Europe could ever successfully challenge state religions, church-state agreements, blasphemy laws and the church taxes that already exist in a great many member countries or are proposed in future.

ARTIKEL I-52: De status van kerken¹ en van niet-confessionele² organisaties

1. De Unie eerbiedigt de status die kerken¹ en religieuze³ verenigingen en gemeenschappen volgens het nationaal recht in de lidstaten hebben, en doet daaraan geen afbreuk.
2. De Unie eerbiedigt tevens⁴ de status die de levensbeschouwelijke en niet-confessionele² organisaties volgens het nationaal recht hebben.
3. De Unie voert een open, transparante en regelmatige dialoog met die kerken en organisaties⁵, onder erkenning van hun identiteit en hun specifieke bijdrage.

¹  normaliter worden alleen Kristianistische tempels "'n kerk" genoemd, of moeten we nu geloven dat kerk hier ook slaat op andere Abrahamitische, en zelfs niet-Abrahamitische, tempels?
²  wat letterlijk op deze twee plaatsen staat, is inkonsekwent en onzinnig; het verwijst waarschijnlijk naar niet-religieuze wereldbeschouwelijke organizaties (waarbij niet-Kristianistische religieuze organizaties zelf mogen bepalen of ze al dan niet bestaan en genoemd worden)
³ bedoelen de opstellers van de voorgestelde grondwet hier misschien andere religieuze, of slaat kerk alleen op 'n gebouw en niets anders?
⁴  in de Engelse versie staat in dezelfde mate, wat veel meer inhoudt
⁵  bedoelen ze misschien andere wereldbeschouwelijke organizaties?


ARTICLE I-52: Status of churches¹ and non-confessional² organisations

1. The Union respects and does not prejudice the status under national law of churches¹ and religious³ associations or communities in the Member States.
2. The Union equally⁴ respects the status under national law of philosophical and non-confessional² organisations.
3. Recognising their identity and their specific contribution, the Union shall maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with these churches and organisations⁵.

¹  normally only Christianist temples are called "churches", or are we supposed to believe now that church also refers to other Abrahamic, and even non-Abrahamic, temples here?
²  literally, what is stated at these two places is inconsistent and nonsensical; it is probably meant to refer to organizations with nonreligious worldviews (while non-Christianist religious organizations may determine for themselves whether they exist and are being mentioned or not)
³ do the authors of the proposed constitution, perhaps, mean other religious, or does church merely refer to a building here and nothing else?
⁴  the Dutch version reads also here, which is not necessarily equally
⁵  do they, perhaps, mean organizations with other than Christianist worldviews ?

[T]he Catholic bishops [were] satisfied that the access provided to the church by Article 52 would enable them to make up for 'the perceived democratic deficit' at the heart of Europe. [...] Who are these people? And who elected them? Who asked them to make up for our democratic deficit? Who do they really represent?