European press review

No single story dominates the European papers on Monday, so their headlines highlight a range of issues, from gay marriages and the German Grand Prix to the design of the euro coin.

The Pope and Europe

Belgium's Le Soir reports on Pope John Paul II's latest warning about the secularisation of Europe, with the headline "The Pope thunders against laicism".

"Rome incites Catholic parliamentarians to reject homosexual marriage" and "John Paul II has again called for the anthem of Catholic Europe to be written into the constitution of the European Union", the paper says.

"On Sunday the Pope urged Catholics to act against the secularisation of Europe, stressing that the old continent was more than any other rooted in Christian traditions," it says.

"This was his latest call for recognition of the role of Christianity in the history of Europe," it adds.

"The Vatican has been trying for months to persuade European leaders to mention that role in the first constitution the European Union is adopting."

Disappointing Grand Prix

The German papers focus on Juan Pablo Montoya's sensational win in the German Grand Prix.

"Montoya wins Crash-Race" screams the headline in Bild.

It says the outcome of the "hot battle of the year" was a bitter blow to the world champion. Alongside a picture of a jubilant Montoya it adds that after this "crazy race", the Colombian is Michael Schumacher's number one rival.

The hot-blooded Montoya executed his game plan coolly and calmly Sueddeutsche Zeitung

Die Welt assesses the race as a story worthy of Hollywood. It had seemed a foregone conclusion for Michael Schumacher on practice day, but a flat tyre put paid to that, says the paper.

Following his "outstanding victory", Montoya has made himself the most likely candidate to beat Schumacher to the world championship, the paper adds.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung hails Montoya's "brilliant performance" in the sauna heat of Hockenheim.

It sympathises with Schumacher over losing in the home race, "which he had entered with such high hopes and ended with a disappointing seventh place instead of the much desired centenary victory for Ferrari".

"The hot-blooded Montoya executed his game plan coolly and calmly," the paper adds.

Hopes for German economy

Germans are hoping for less turmoil on the economic front, amid signs of a slight upturn.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that all the latest economic indicators were positive.

Die Tageszeitung says he is hoping to pump-prime a recovery by talking up the economic good news.

It says it is understandable that he is taking credit for developments which, according to the paper, are not of his making. "But he is running the risk of disappointing people even more with his cheery talk."

Mr Schroeder is a "gambler", it says, and "unfortunately, he won't be the one who pays if he loses".

Handelsblatt, however, is more upbeat. "Foreign investors on their way back", its headline says.

Holiday over for Swedish PM

Malmoe's Sydsvenska Dagbladet says the holidays are over for Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson, who currently looks set to lose the country's referendum on joining the euro.

"Now it's all about hard work. Until 14 September European Monetary Union and the euro are top priority."

"And something out of the ordinary is needed if Persson and Co are to succeed in clawing back the 'no' side's big lead," the paper says.

Mr Persson "got off to a flying start" over the weekend with an opinion piece in a national broadsheet and his traditional summer speech, the paper says. But "so far it has been obvious that the 'yes' side's campaign has been far too pallid", it says.

Still, the paper sees some cause for optimism.

"Before the referendum on EU membership in 1994, 30% of voters made their minds up in the last week."

Hungarian paper flips over euro coin

Hungary's Magyar Hirlap takes issue with the EU over the design of the euro coin.

Before the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2002, EU decision-makers designed a map of the EU's 15 member states for the side of the coin which is common to all eurozone countries, the newspaper recalls.

"It is feared that in four-and-a-half years' time we will use coins for payment in Hungary whose 'European' side does not show Hungary and the other accession countries," it says.

"We cannot excuse the EU decision-makers ... when the common currency was designed they could have planned Europe's future too."

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.