posted 10-18-2003 03:21 AM            

When the European Union was expanded to fifteen nations, "The European" newspaper ran an article responding to those who had expected the flag's design to incorporate fifteen stars, one star for each state, similar to the flag of the United States of America.

In fact, as the newspaper explains, and as the EU's own publication "Europe's star choice" confirms, there is no chance of this ever happening because the number of stars and the number of states in the European Union are unrelated. The design of the European flag was inspired by the halo of 12 stars around pictures of the Madonna, and appears prominently on the Council of Europe stained-glass window in Strasbourg Cathedral, unveiled to the world on December 11, 1955, to coincide with the Roman Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Reference to the stars is found in the twelfth chapter of the Apocalpse of John: "And a great sign was seen in heaven: A woman arrayed with the sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." The director of the Flag Institute, Dr. William Crampton, has confirmed that the then secretary of the Council of Europe, Leon Marchal, had suggested that there should be twelve stars on the Council of Europe's flag, adding that: "No-one can deny that under these symbols Catholics recognize the presence of the infinitely merciful Queen of peace of in Christ".

The Common Market itself started under the inspiration of Catholic politicians such as Adenauer of Germany, Paul-Henri Spaak, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman. They were all deeply influenced by Catholic social teaching. Jean Monnet totally rejected the idea that Europe should consist of sovereign nations. He believed in the Catholic vision that Europe should become a federal superstate, into which all ancient nations would be fused.

Since the Second World War, the British government has recognized the temporal authority claimed by the Pope of Rome. In the nineteen eighties, when Queen Elizabeth visited the Pope at the Vatican, she willingly wore black in order to be received by the Pope as a heretic. Her subalternity was confirmed by a Church of England vicar who enquired of his diocese registrar whether his Oath of Allegiance to the Queen effectively means he has sworn allegiance to Brussels. He suggested that because the Queen's sovereignty had been removed through her European citizenship and her accountability to the European courts, his loyalties were now to the greater sovereign power. The question was put to Buckingham Palace, who did not immediately know how to reply. They consulted Brussels on the matter - a simple act which in iself provided the answer to the vicar's question.