Speaking before the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, Frattini lamented the absence of a strong "common European identity".
"On one hand, we quite rightly recognise the influence that religious characteristics have on other people’s identities, like Muslims," he said, "but on the other, when we speak of our own religion, we keep our distance".
"The political disputes that led to the removal from the [EU] treaty of all references to Europe’s Christian roots, to a Europe that is unquestionably Jewish, Christian, secular and a product of the Enlightenment, exposed our weaknesses," the former European commissioner added.
Frattini's speech, which did not address the issue of crucifixes in Italian classrooms, was designed to "express Italy's point of view on constructing a European identity in the globalisation era".
The crucifix row nevertheless lurked in the background.
The conservative government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, along with the vast majority of Italians, is opposed to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights calling for crucifixes to be removed from Italian schools.
According to the court, the presence of religious symbols in classrooms infringes individual freedom of thought. Frattini told journalists that Italy would appeal the decision.
In his speech, the Italian minister spoke of the need to offer immigrants "a road to integration" and urged other countries to do likewise.
"Citizenship should be an achievement attained after a complex journey. It’s not a present to be offered to those who aren’t ready to accept it," he said.
"We need to demand reciprocity in the enjoyment of our rights. The mosques in our towns must have their counterparts: churches where Christians, whatever their denomination, are asking for churches," he added.
(EurActiv with Reuters.)
