FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2016

On April 14, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention during the Security Council Open Debate dedicated to “Threats to International Peace and Security by Terrorist Acts.”  

In his statement, Archbishop Auza spoke about the fundamental threat to our common humanity from the ongoing and escalating use of terror. He said that the internationalization of terror can be countered only by a collective international response that addresses the root causes that feed violent extremism. Part of that response must involve controlling the cyber technologies that terrorist groups use to recruit young people, finance their activities and coordinate attacks. He called for the outlawing of collaboration with terrorist groups and for the challenging of Member States that abet or shelter terrorist groups and specified that in the Middle East terrorist must not be permitted to destroy centuries of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims. He also reminded the international community that the eradication of terrorism will not happen solely by military means but through a culture of encounter and dialogue that promotes mutual acceptance and inclusive societies.

His statement can be found here.