German President Johannes Rau says he supports Poland's call for the insertion of a reference to God in the disputed preamble to a proposed European Union constitution.
"We should refer to God in the constitution. The reference is appropriate for Europe's Christian tradition and does not exclude those of other faiths or without faith," Rau said on Friday in a speech to Poland's parliament on the eve of EU enlargement.
The reference to Christianity has been a sticking point on the EU charter, with 95-percent Roman Catholic Poland among countries backing proposals to extend current wording, which refers only to Europe's cultural and spiritual heritage.
More secular states such as France have steadfastly opposed the insertion of an explicit reference to religion.
Germany has repeatedly said it could live with a reference to God in the document, given that the German constitution includes such a reference in its preamble.
But German officials have always acknowledged the disagreement in the EU on the issue and Rau's comment was seen in Berlin as reflecting the views of a devout Christian politician.