Last modified: 2003-08-21 by ivan sache
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Debunking the myth
While Count Coudenhove-Kalergi in a personal statement maintained that three leading Catholics within the Council had subconciously chosen the twelve stars on the model of Apocalypse 12:1, Paul M. G. Lévy, press officer of the Council from 1949 to 1966, explained in 1989 that there was no religious intention whatsoever associated with the choice of the circle of twelve stars.
This is important because from time to time all kinds of myths (mainly by Catholic activists, some of them outspoken anti-semitic) are being launched to "prove" that the European emblem was designed to glorify the Virgin Mary who, erroneously again, is traditionally being associated with Apocalypse 12:1.
Peter Diem, 11 June 2002
I have also seen the argument that the flag and emblem of the European Union is in fact a catholic symbol. This argument has been put forward by Lutheran north Europeans as a contribution to the line of thought that the European Union is a Catholic (that is elitist, non-democratic etc.) project the north Europeans (that is democratic and Lutheran) ought to stay out of.
Some of the more extreme argue that the European Union is a
fulfillment of the prophesies in The Book of Revelation - the
resurrection of the Roman Empire etc. ("evidence": the European Union
was founded with the treaty of Rome). Chapter12 verse 1 reads:
'After that there appeared a great sign in heaven: a woman robed with
the sun, beneath her feet the moon, and on her head a crown of
twelve stars.'
In church art this crown is in the form of a circle of stars around
the Virgin Mary's head (the cathedral in Strasbourg is said to have a
stained glass window looking very much like the European emblem). See
how Catholic this is?
Now, the argument is that the flag of the Council of Europe, which the European Union took over, was decided by a small group of representatives from the Catholic member states (in secretive meetings from which there is no written record) and without explaining the symbolism of the circle of stars. The gullible Pprotestants thought the design was OK and voted for it (that is, they were duped). In this way the non-Catholics have been forced into worshiping the Virgin Mary when displaying the European Union flag.
Now, I don't believe in this argument, but is such a beautiful conspiracy theory that I had to comment on it.
Jan Oskar Engene, 23 November 1995 >
An illustration of the myth
"COINCIDENCES" OF EUROPEAN FLAG
Designer Inspired by Virgin's Image in Paris' Rue du Bac
ROMA, DEC 7 (ZENIT) - December 8 is a very special day for Europe: in 1955, on that day, the European Ministers' delegates officially adopted the European flag designed by Arsene Heitz, who today is an octogenarian artist in Strasbourg. The decision was taken following the 1950 European Council's (one of the predecessors of today's European Union) convocation of a competition to design the flag of the newborn European Community. Among many other artists, Heitz presented several designs, and one was chosen: 12 stars on a blue background.
Recently Heitz revealed to a French magazine the reason for his inspiration. At that time he was reading the history of the Blessed Virgin's apparitions in Paris' Rue du Bac, known today as the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal. According to the artist, he thought of the 12 stars in a circle on a blue background, exactly the way it is represented in traditional iconography of this image of the Immaculate Conception. In the beginning, Heitz saw it as a flight of fancy, among the many that run through an artist's imagination; but the idea caught his attention, to the point that it became the subject of his meditation.
According to Javier Paredes, Professor of Contemporary History at
the University of Alcala in Spain, in statements sent to ZENIT,
"Heitz listens to God in his interior; in other words, he prays with
his heart and his head. He says he is profoundly religious and
devoted to the Virgin, to whom he never misses praying a daily
Rosary, together with his wife. Because of this, he believes the
inspiration not only from his artistic talents, but from the silent
voices that Heaven always speaks to men of good will, among whom
Heitz can undoubtedly be numbered. He is an artist who, virtually at
the end of his life and at the zenith of his career, can proclaim
with the guarantee of authenticity that he recalls that moment, that
he is interested in very few but very important things, that he
regards himself as a man who loves the whole world, but especially
the Blessed Virgin, who is our Mother."
Professor Paredes admits that "neither the stars nor the blue of the
flag are particularly religious symbols, thus respecting the
conscience of all Europeans, regardless of their beliefs."
Indeed, he recalls that "when Paul M.G. Levy, first director of the
Press and Information Service of the European Council had to explain
to the Members of the Economic Community the meaning of the design,
he interpreted the number of 12 stars as a 'figure of plenitude,'
given that in the 50s there were not 12 members in that Council, nor
in the European Community."
"However, in Heitz's soul the words of the Apocalypse were very
present: 'A great sign appeared in the Heavens: a Woman clothed with
the sun and with the moon at her feet, and on her head a crown of
twelve stars.' And, perhaps without realizing it, the delegates of
the European Ministers officially adopted the design proposed by
Heitz on the feast of Our Lady: December 8, 1955," explained Prof.
Paredes. "That's a lot of coincidences, so henceforth it should not
be difficult for us to discover in the folds of the Europeans' flag
the smile and affection of Our Mother, the Queen of Europe, ready to
lend a hand in that great challenge that St. Peter's successor has
proposed to us: to re-Christianize the Old Continent with the example
of our lives and the testimony of our words."
Article #ZE99120707 from ZENIT News Agency, kindly forwarded by Mark Polo, 7 December 1999
According to the above article, Pr. Paredes said: "when Paul M.G. Lévy, first director of the Press and Information Service of the European Council had to explain to the Members of the Economic Community the meaning of the design [...]" Firstly, this was not the "European Council" but the Council of Europe. Secondly, Paul M.G. Lévy did not met "the Members of the Economic Community", since such "members" never existed, but the delegates representing the Ministers of the Council of Europe. This happened in November 1955, therefore before the treaty of Rome which created the European Economic Community.
A bit further, Paredes is reported to have claimed: "However, in Heitz's soul the words of the Apocalypse were very present". An Austrian journalist already asked me if I knew more on this, because she had done an extensive search to no avail. J.M. Lévy confirmed me that Heitz's feeling reported by Paredes and elsewhere are apocryphal. Heitz was asked by the council of europe to propose a flag because of his designer's skills, and submitted several of its own proposals, which were rejected.
Ivan Sache, based on comments by Jean-Michel Lévy, Paul M. G. Lévy's son, 15 January 2003
Several cases exist where people assumed that the number of stars would increase when new members join the European Union.
However, the number of stars (12) is not to alter if the number of members changes.
Ivan Sache, 20 July 2003
I am not sure if there ever was a real attempt to change the European Union flag. The Koolhas flag (also known as the "barcode flag") was never meant as a real flag, at least not by any European Union officials,. In spite of this the media reports on this "flag" were copied by other newspapers without any attempt to verify the information; even the Flagmaster [flm] reported this flag. I think that there currently is a tendency to take any "silly European Union proposal" for granted, even without counterchecking available info. So I think the report about another proposal for a new European Union flag should be handled with extreme care.
Marcus Schmöger, 19 November 2002