On 24 January, the Chaplain-President in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs participated in the Article 17 dialogue on liberal democracy held in the European Parliament in Brussels. The Article 17 dialogue is the formal dialogue between the EU and the religious and non-confessional organisations in Europe, which include the Anglican Church. An extremely interesting debate occurred on the origins of the human rights tradition in Europe and on the role of churches, religions and lifestances in promoting liberal democracy in the EU. The Chaplain-President permits himself the remark that, in view of the quality and importance of the debate, it is a tragedy that there is no longer any representation from the UK at such vital meetings.
