Romania

Dracula Park to be built near its inspiration

Romania will open a Dracula theme park at a lakeside resort near the burial site of Vlad the Impaler, the real-life Romanian prince who inspired the vampire myth, tourism officials said Wednesday.

After a year of wrangling between building the tourist attraction deep in the Transylvania region or closer to Bucharest, officials announced the park would be built near Snagov Lake, an upscale resort 25 miles north of the capital.

A study found a park devoted to the legendary vampire would attract more than a million tourists a year if located near Bucharest.

Estimated to cost $31.5 million, the park’s planned attractions will include restaurants, hotels, a zoo, a golf course and a Gothic castle with spooky effects.

Ireland

Church’s fund low for abuse compensation

Insurers have provided $11.5 million to the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland to pay victims of clerical sexual abuse, but the fund soon will be empty, church authorities revealed Wednesday.

After maintaining secrecy about its settlements with abuse victims, the church — facing more than 1,000 lawsuits in this predominantly Catholic nation — released details on its insurance coverage in hopes of persuading the public that its 26 dioceses face a severe cash challenge.

Victims groups expressed disgust at the church’s disclosure that most dioceses took out their first insurance policies back in 1987.

Belgium

EU officials divided over using God’s name

The debate about a constitution for the European Union has hit a tough hurdle: Should the charter invoke the name of God?

Some conservative EU officials want the EU’s first constitution to mention God by name and define European values as including “those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty.”

The proposal faced strong opposition Wednesday — one EU official called it “stupid” — as a 13-member panel struggled to draft the charter’s first six articles, dealing with Europe’s fundamental values and powers.

Leading the panel is former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who was expected to present a draft of the articles today.

EU officials said Wednesday the draft was not likely to mention God directly.