About Us
If a mole hadn't revealed the plans, the concordat would have gone through without the voters even noticing.
The text of the 2003 Brandenburg Concordat with the Vatican was supposed to be kept secret until it was already signed and then rushed through Parliament two days later. Once signed, there would be no way to amend it and two days left no time for sceptical lawyers to examine it, let alone launch a discussion with the public. Furthermore, once ratified, the concordat couldn't be changed or cancelled without Vatican consent because it fell under treaty law. In other words, two days after it was revealed to the parliamentarians this mysterious document was to be removed from democratic control — forever.
A few days later another German concordat followed, this time in Bremen, and also without public discussion. Then in 2005 the Catholics for a Free Choice helped concerned Slovaks inform the world about plans for an unprecedented “conscience concordat” which threatened basic freedoms there.
It was clear that there should be a website about what was going on and in 2007 dobney.com offered a permanent website for Concordat Watch, (as well as superb web support and a delightfully simple web system, Notanant).
The pictures on Concordat Watch are meant to be illustrations, not documents. (Many have been altered, in the spirit of removing traffic signs from pictures of mediaeval cathedrals.) However, the text is meant to be strictly factual and also transparent, in the sense that the source of a statement can generally be checked with a single click to a reputable site.
Heartfelt thanks to the other volunteers who have provided information, granted permission to post their articles, done translations, regularly sent in items of interest and asked others to help this site. Anything not stated as being written or translated by someone else is by the editor.
The contributors have diverse viewpoints, but we are united in the conviction that separation of church and state is urgently needed to help ensure human rights for all.
Muriel Fraser
Disambiguation: “One law for all” has been the motto of Concordat Watch since March 2008. Its later adoption by a member of the Politburo of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran was unilateral. Concordat Watch has no religious, atheist or political ties and does not solicit funds.
