Founder of Bilderberg, Josef Retinger
Organiser of the last Bilderberg conference to take place in the UK
Andrew Palmer
plus Bill Clinton and many more Bilderbergers
all freemasons
Tony
EU atheist-freemason summit 'very odd', says Europe's chief unbeliever
http://euobserver.com/843/31066
Atheists would rather there were no summits with them or the churches
(Photo: Valentina Pop)
LEIGH PHILLIPS - 21.10.2010
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The first ever summit between representatives
of secularist, atheist and masonic organisations and the leaders of
the European Union's three main institutions was "very odd," Europe's
top unbeliever has said.
On Friday (15 October), leaders from what the European Commission
describes as "philosophical non-confessional organisations" met with
the presidents of the European Commission, Parliament and Council to
discuss their views on poverty and social exclusion. The first
meeting of its kind, it is the secular counterpart to the summits the
three institutions are now obliged by the Lisbon Treaty to regularly
have with religious leaders.
http://euobserver.com/843/31066
David Pollock, the president of the European Humanist Federation,
told EUobserver that his organisation is against the idea of the
meetings but went along to balance out a previous EU meeting with
religious figures.
"There is no reason why we as atheists or freemasons, any more than
religious leaders, have any particular expertise on poverty reduction
strategies. There were a series of fairly predictable expressions of
outrage that citizens remain in poverty and demands for greater
solidarity but nothing especially specific in the way of any
strategy. There was lots of good will and not a great deal else," he said.
"It was all a bit odd."
The representatives gave short three-minute statements on the topic
of poverty in the union and then lunched with the three presidents.
Mr Pollock said the EU should go beyond charity payments and its
focus on poverty reduction and look instead to specific legislative
efforts to reduce income inequality, such as raising minimum pay
rates and setting and subsequently reducing maximum pay rates.
The group has opposed the Lisbon Treaty's institutionalisation of
religious consultation, but: "As the treaty has passed, this can't be
undone, and the churches have this ready access at the most senior
level, so it is important that we take part in order to make the
counterargument."
Atheist Ireland, the UK-based National Secular Society, the European
Association for Free Thought and Belgium's Secular Action Centre also
took part in the two-hour meeting, as well as the masonic Grand
Lodges or Grand Orients of eight EU member states: Belgium, France,
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Romania.
"In total, of the 18 representatives there, atheist or secularist
organisations were outnumbered two to one, with five from the
humanist groups and 12 from the freemasons," Mr Pollock explained.
He believes it is inappropriate that atheist groups have been lumped
in with the secretive freemasons.
"I suppose they were there insofar as they are in favour of a
separation between church and state, although some did make a few
friendly references about Christian values. But I don't have any
particular quarrel with what they had to say about poverty," he said.
Emerging in the late 16th century in England and subsequently
spreading throughout the world, the Freemasons split in 1877 between
the English-speaking lodges and their continental counterparts over
the question of god. Anglophone Freemasons require that their members
believe in a deity, while continental freemasons do not.
The atheists are more concerned about what they describe as the
"privileged access" offered to religious groups. The last EU
religious summit, in July, also focussed on the question of poverty.
Previous meetings with religious leaders have considered climate
change, immigration and "flexicurity" - a Danish model for the welfare state.
"It is not just the meetings. The process involves a lot more. What
we are worried about is that churches - and in particular the
Catholic Church as it is in the best position to exploit this process
- to insert themselves at the earliest stage of policy formation.
They explicitly want pre-legislative consultations," Mr Pollock said.
Other international fora where churches have been offered
institutional access, he added, give an idea of what the Vatican
hopes to achieve in the EU.
"When it comes to family planning, women's rights, gay rights, they
are very active at the UN. The Church is positively crowing about how
recently they have been able to eliminate language on access to
abortion, safe pregnancies and sex education in a recent report on
the Millennium Development Goals," he noted.
"One should be very worried about similar moves that might go on as a
result of this process in the EU."
For its part, the Catholic Church denies it has any ulterior motives
in engaging in the consultations.
"Abortion, these other topics are of course a concern to the Catholic
Church, but we know very well that these are not competences of the
European Union," Johanna Touzel, spokeswoman for the Commission of
Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (Comece), the Church's
European lobby outfit.
"Even if we would want such influence, we cannot do this because the
EU has no responsibility here. They are instead raised at the
national level," she continued.
"The diologue is open, very transparent, a democratic procedure," she
continued. "It's not done behind closed doors. You can see the list
of all participants and all proposals and contributions are published."
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, a 'devout' Catholic,
said after the meeting: "We acknowledged the experience of humanist
and philosophical leaders when dealing with this challenge [poverty].
I look forward to further strengthening this dialogue."
One in three Europeans have no religion, according to the European
Humanist Federation.
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_________________
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"The maintenance of secrets acts like a psychic poison which
alienates the possessor from the community" Carl Jung
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--
Please consider seriously the reason why these elite institutions are not discussed in the mainstream press despite the immense financial and political power they wield?
There are sick and evil occultists running the Western World. They are power mad lunatics like something from a kids cartoon with their fingers on the nuclear button! Armageddon is closer than you thought. Only God can save our souls from their clutches, at least that's my considered opinion - Tony
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