Italy, Poland and five other countries have made a final plea at a European Union summit for a reference to Europe's Christian roots in a draft European Union constitution.
"We have stressed that the Christian roots are for us an essential element of the treaty," Italian Foreign Minister Mr Franco Frattini told reporters.
Staunchly Roman Catholic Poland, homeland of Pope John Paul, urged secular France to drop its objections to a reference to Christianity in the constitution's preamble, saying it would help the charter to be approved in referenda in some countries.
Polish Prime Minister Mr Marek Belka said a failure to mention Christianity in the charter would further weaken the already shaky enthusiasm for the EU in Poland and other countries, seen in a low turnout during EU Parliament polls.
The dispute over a reference to Christianity added to wrangling over a new voting system in the constitution, which EU leaders hope to approve today - six months after the failure of a previous summit on the issue.
France has opposed the reference to Christian roots, saying it was happy with the current preamble which mentions Europe's "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance".
"France isn't anti-Christian. It resolved this type of quarrel 100 years ago. We're not going to reopen this debate," President Jacques Chirac told a news conference.
Mr Hans-Gert Poettering, leader of the European People's Party (EPP) - the European Parliament's mainly Christian Democratic biggest group said Belgian opposition to a reference to Christianity was one reason the EPP opposed Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt as next European Commission president.