On September 25, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and Head of Delegation to the General Debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, gave the intervention of the Holy See to the United Nations General Assembly on the theme of the 72nd Session, “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life on a Sustainable Planet."
In his address, Archbishop Gallagher applauded the focus on people, especially those on the margins, something that means not just guarding them from heinous crimes but placing their good ahead of national and geopolitical interests; it also means protecting their human dignity, their right to life, freedom of religion, food, water, housing, work and to a safe environment. Our commitments must go beyond words, he said, as he focused on the commitments necessary in the protection of our common home, in the fight against poverty and to promote sustainable development, in the prevention of war and violent conflicts according to the Responsibility to Protect, in fostering the care of refugees and the safe, orderly and regular treatment of migrants, in eradicating human trafficking and all forms of human slavery, and in battling against the legal and illegal arms trade. He commented on the situation in Yemen, Syria, Venezuela, the Middle East, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. He also spoke about the significance of the Holy See’s signing of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons last week.
The statement can be found here.