A quote from the EUobserver, 16 January 2007

The new president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering [a German Christian-Democrat] has promised to act as a “fair and objective” president of the whole assembly, indicating that despite his personal convictions, he would no longer press for a reference to God in any revised EU constitution.

[...] Following the vote, the German deputy said one of his key priorities would be to boost a “dialogue between cultures”, particularly between Christian and Muslim religions.