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No one can remain indifferent to the lot of his brothers and sisters who are still buried in wretchedness, and victims of insecurity, slaves of ignorance. Like the heart of Christ, the heart of the Christian must sympathize with this misery: “I have pity on this multitude”. Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio
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Statement of the Holy See at the Sixth Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Item 79: Crimes against humanity
Archbishop EL KASSIS welcomed progress towards a convention and highlighted four priorities: grounding the instrument in customary international law; reaffirming the primary responsibility of States to prevent and punish these crimes; placing victims at its centre; and respecting the dignity of the accused.
October 13 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Second Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Item 17: Sustainable Development
Archbishop EL KASSIS emphasised that efforts to achieve sustainable development must address its interconnected social, economic and environmental dimensions, while also recognising humanity’s cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions.
October 12 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Second Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 20: Groups of countries in Special Situations
Archbishop EL KASSIS highlighted the persistent vulnerabilities facing least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) including economic pressures, rising debt and climate change. In this context, Archbishop El Kassis first stressed the importance of ensuring access to the financial and technological resources needed by countries in special situations to advance development, strengthen resilience and respond to crises, including through greater access to concessional financing, debt relief and technology transfer. He also emphasised that development must serve the human person and the common good, with investments in healthcare, education, decent work and social protection essential to ensure all people can flourish.
October 12 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Second Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 14: Information and Communication Technologies for Sustainable Development
Archbishop EL KASSIS reaffirmed the potential of ICTs to increase access to knowledge, healthcare, education and economic opportunities, while noting that the digital divide persists both between and within countries, with 2.2 billion people still unconnected. He noted that Artificial Intelligence risks creating a new imbalance if knowledge and technology remain concentrated in the hands of a few, and called for increased international cooperation, including capacity-building and technology transfer, accompanied by investments in education and digital literacy.
October 12 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 68 a) “Elimination of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance”, and b) “Comprehensive Implementation of and Follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action”
Archbishop EL KASSIS reaffirmed that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses equal and inviolable dignity, and that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance constitute a direct affront to that dignity. Drawing attention to some areas of concern, he noted that migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers continue to face racism, xenophobia and discrimination; that online platforms can amplify hatred and polarisation; and that religious intolerance – whether Antisemitism, Christianophobia, Islamophobia or other forms of hostility based on anti-religious bias – must be firmly rejected.
October 12 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 70: Promotion and protection of human rights
The Holy See reaffirmed its position that the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person, a dignity that is never forfeited, whatever the gravity of the crime. It noted that modern penal systems allow States to protect society effectively without foreclosing repentance and redemption, and that executions leave no recourse in cases of miscarriage of justice.
October 07 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 110 and 111: “Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice” and “International Drug Control”
Archbishop El-Kassis stated that the rule of law, crime prevention and criminal justice must advance together, and that preventing and responding to criminal activities is interrelated with the respect for and protection of universal human rights. He noted the need for renewed determination in the face of expanding drug markets and the exploitation of technology by organized criminal groups, calling at the same time for medical treatment, psychological support and sustained rehabilitation, particularly for young people and those serving criminal sentences. He further stressed the fundamental role of education, within the family and in schools, in preventing drug use.
October 07 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 67: “Rights of Indigenous Peoples”
Archbishop El-Kassis reaffirmed that Indigenous Peoples form an indispensable part of the human family, and that their rights must be respected, protected and promoted as a matter of justice and of the common good. Welcoming the progress achieved through the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2027, he underscored that Indigenous peoples are not objects of development policies, but subjects and protagonists of their own destinies. He called on the international community to recognize past wounds, commit to reconciliation, and defend the fundamental human rights and God-given dignity of every human being.
October 07 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 66: Promotion and protection of the rights of children
Archbishop El Kassis stated that children, as the youngest members of the human family, deserve particular care and legal protection. He affirmed the family as the foundation and most important safeguard of children's rights. Mothers and fathers, he said, are their children's first teachers, protectors and advocates. He noted that many children lack health care, food, education and shelter, and that poverty exposes them to abuse and exploitation, including trafficking and forced labor.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Second Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - General Debate
Archbishop El Kassis called for an international financial architecture that places the human person and the common good at its centre. To achieve this, he highlighted three priorities: reforming the global financial architecture to ensure greater inclusion of developing countries; a more equitable approach to unsustainable debt burdens that protects investment in human development; and greater attention to how global resources are allocated, particularly amid rising military expenditure. He stressed that financing sustainable development must go beyond mobilising resources to ensuring that economic and financial systems serve integral human development, supporting investments in healthcare, education, food security, decent work and climate action. He encouraged the Committee to advance efforts towards a financial system that enables all countries to pursue lasting peace, prosperity and development.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 25: Advancement of women
Citing Pope Leo XIV, Archbishop El Kassis stated that the equal dignity of women and men must be reflected in concrete decisions, including laws, access to employment and education, and social and political responsibilities. He stressed that equality does not mean sameness, and requires collaboration between men and women. Women should have equal opportunities without having to renounce family life or professional aspirations. He criticized policies presented as family-friendly that discriminate against motherhood, exalt abortion as a right and undermine the desire to start a family.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 24: Social Development
Welcoming the first session since the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Archbishop El Kassis, citing Pope Leo XIV, stated that development is truly human when it places people at the center. He stressed that poverty eradication and effective social protection must remain central, and that the poor should be active participants in the measures designed to help them.
October 06 2026
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSIS at the General Assembly High-level Meeting to Commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Archbishop El Kassis stated that seeking greater security through perpetual reliance on nuclear weapons, the use of which would have catastrophic consequences for humanity, is a profound contradiction. He also noted with concern the renewed prominence of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and rhetoric contemplating their possible use, as well as in the gradual erosion of the arms control and disarmament architecture that has been built up over decades. Against this backdrop, Archbishop El Kassis stated that reversing these trends requires a renewed commitment to multilateralism, arms control and disarmament, noting that dialogue and cooperation remain essential to restoring trust, reducing nuclear risks and creating the conditions for meaningful progress towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
September 29 2026
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSIS at the General Debate of the High-Level Meeting to Mark the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Archbishop El Kassis noted that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance have regrettably not improved, also extending to the digital space, and recalled that the God-given dignity of the human person is central to building a true international community, any theory or form of racism being morally unacceptable. He welcomed that the present Political Declaration recognizes intolerance against religious communities, including acts of Christianophobia, and underlined that global political support requires political will and the participation of civil society, including religious leaders.
September 28 2026
Address by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State and Head of the Delegation of the Holy See at the General Debate of the High-Level Week at the Opening of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Conveying the greetings of Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Parolin urged nations to place human dignity and the common good at the centre of international cooperation. He emphasized disarmament, civilian protection and respect for international humanitarian law, while appealing for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East and other regions affected by conflict.
September 26 2026