By Holy See Mission
Statement byH.E.
Archbishop Celestino MigliorePermanent Observer of the Holy See to the U.N.Before the 58th Session of the General Assemblyon
Agenda Item 44: Culture
of PeaceNew York, 10
November 2003Mr. President,
My Delegation
welcomes this opportunity to participate once again in the discussion on
“Culture of Peace”.
The Holy See has
always welcomed and embraced diverse and varied cultures for centuries.
Against
this background, in speaking of peace, my delegation recognizes first of
all
that peace is not essentially about structures, but about people.
Peace is above
all about those who are realistic enough to recognize that in spite of
the
downsides of human nature and society, peace is possible. No effort
should be
spared in achieving it. For this, peace must be willed, earned and
shared as a
common good of humanity.
If we look at the
hotbeds of wars in our time, we cannot but ask ourselves how mass media,
politicians and public authorities depict the realities surrounding
those
conflicts. Does the media to which those affected populations are
exposed
propose peace; do public statements and comments speak of peace; do
school books
teach the ways of peace; do conversation that young people have within
their
families and among their peers prepare them for peace?
Mr. President,
the reasons that are given to justify conflicts must be duly addressed,
before,
during and after they occur. The necessity to impose an armed defense to
dissuade the other party from becoming an enemy should be prudently and
carefully weighed against an equal necessity to reach out to the other
party,
beyond any presumed or alleged enmity, leaving always the door open for
all
possible peaceful solutions. Consequently, when those who bear the
responsibility and the obligation to defend peace and order are called
upon to
decide whether or not to take up legitimate defense, their decision must
be
subject to the rigorous conditions given within the moral order because
such
actions can be justified only when all peaceful means of resolving the
crisis
have been proven to be impractical, ineffective or impossible.
Mr. President,
unlike the culture of war, the culture of peace entails an ethical
approach to
life. It shows the right and secure path that leads to the respect for
life. War
“destroys the life of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into
upheaval
even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of
resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a
just
solution to the very problems which provoked the war” (Pope John Paul
II,
Centesimus Annus, #52).
This year the
United Nations celebrates the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration
of
Human Rights. This event calls everyone to the fundamental recognition
of the
full dignity of every human being. From such recognition springs the
right to
peace. But, when peace loses its value in society and its importance in
public
policy, human rights and international obligations become jeopardized
and
compromised.
Peace is an
enterprise of justice. At the root of war, and in particular of
terrorism, a
type of armed aggression which we are sadly experiencing in our present
age, we
find serious grievances that are yet to be addressed by the
international
community: injustices suffered, legitimate aspirations frustrated,
abject
poverty, discrimination, intolerance, and exploitation of multitudes of
desperate people who have no real hope of improving their lives. Such
injustices
incite violence, and every injustice can lead to war.
Peace, which
could be defined as “the tranquility of order”, is a fundamental duty of
everyone. However, peace is built up on mutual trust, and trust can be
achieved
only with justice and fairness. Peace demands the correction of
violations, the
redress of abuses, the rehabilitation of victims and the reconciliation
of the
aggrieved parties. The strategy of building trust means overcoming all
obstacles
that impede works of justice with a view towards peace. Only in such a
climate
of peace can a culture of peace take root and flourish.
Mr. President, if
development is the new name for peace, then war and the proliferation of
weapons
must be considered the major enemies of development of peoples. By
putting an
end to the arms race a true disarmament process can begin, with
agreements based
on authentic and workable safeguards. The reallocation of economic and
other
resources from arms race to humanitarian needs such as basic health
care,
education for all and strengthening of the family, will indeed promote
and
strengthen a culture of peace.
Mr. President,
these are some thoughts my delegation wishes to share in the context of
the
fortieth anniversary of “Pacem in Terris - Peace on Earth”, the
epical
Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII. Allow me therefore to close with
the
following words of that same Encyclical: “The world will never be the
dwelling
place of peace, till peace has found a home in the heart of each and
every
person”.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
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