By Holy See Mission
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Celestino
Migliore
Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See
63rd session of the United Nations
General Assembly
Before the Third Committee, on item 64 (b):
Promotion and protection of human rights:
religious freedom
New York, 29 October 2008Mr Chairman,
As we prepare for
the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we
are reminded of the ongoing struggle for the realization of even the most
fundamental right enshrined in this historic document. To this day the right to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion contained in Article 18 of the UDHR
continues to face serious challenges and breaches in a number of regions around
the world.
As the special
Rapporteur notes in her detailed report, members of all religions are being
persecuted in many parts of the globe. The recent armed attacks—killings and
destruction of religious, social and humanitarian structures—against Christians
in India, Iraq and other regions of the world are a cause of grave concern.
They indicate the dramatic consequences of the violation of this fundamental
right, whose bearers are individual believers and religious groups instead of
territorial and cultural areas. They draw attention to the need for a timely and
concerted effort on the part of the legislative, executive and judiciary levels
to ensure that the fundamental right to religious freedom, in any given country,
is defended and promoted.
This era of
globalization is characterized by unprecedented human mobility and cultural
exchanges—with the consequent exposure to diversity of thought, expression and
religious beliefs. Respecting and promoting the right to religious freedom means
keeping in mind that such freedom belongs to people and religious communities
and cannot be coerced, limited or trampled upon on the basis of geography or
cultures and traditions. Furthermore, individuals must be able not only to
practice their faith but also to change or uphold it without fear of coercion,
intimidation or violence.
This is an
unequivocal principle that governments and civil society, with religious
communities in the lead, must endorse and reflect in legislation, directives and
codes of conduct. Above all, this principle needs to inform the educational
systems of public and private schools, social organizations and religious
communities. The genuine spirit of the human rights system along with a basic
sense and respect for the dignity of every human person require Governments,
religious communities and the whole of civil society to adopt this conviction
and act accordingly, if we want to ensure peaceful coexistence and cooperation
in a globalized world.
A second clear
component underlying the abovementioned religious tensions stems from its very
strategy aimed at destroying not only places of worship, but also the
educational, humanitarian and social structures run by communities of different
religions. Countering proselytism, even when not clearly pursued, is often
invoked as a motive and reason for those criminal acts. Rather, they originate
from the ideology of fundamentalism which is concerned with and hostile to any
other social force working at empowering the poor by promoting and defending
their dignity and freedom.
For some time
now, this Committee has seen an increased focus on the protection of religions
from statements or actions which are perceived to defame religious symbols and
institutions. The concept of defamation of religions arises from the belief
that certain religious ideas and figures deserve protection by the State in
order to ensure that the sensibilities of religious adherents are not offended.
In a multicultural and interconnected society appropriate measures must be taken
to guarantee respect for the various faith traditions.
However, in the
current international context the notion of defamation of religions risks
removing the focus from a basic right of individuals and groups to the
protection of institutions, symbols and ideas. Furthermore, it can lend itself
locally to support laws which penalize religious minorities and stifle
legitimate dialogue among persons of different faiths and cultures.
My delegation is
wholly supportive of the need to protect believers from hate speech and acts
against their convictions. We think that such protection can best be achieved
by effectively implementing the right of individuals and communities to
religious freedom as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil, Cultural and Political Rights and the
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination
based on Religion or Belief.
What is more, the
United Nations’ specific and primary responsibility vis-à-vis religion is to
debate, elucidate and help States to fully ensure, at all levels, the
implementation of the right to religious freedom as affirmed in the UN relevant
documents.
Thank you Mr Chairman.
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