Sep 20, 2007 / 10:08 am
In a statement to the UN in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi addressed the President regarding the delicate balance of freedom of religion and expression, the respect of religious and non-religious beliefs, and the defamation of members of a religion in the world today.
Addressing the United Nations Office and other international organizations on September 14th, the archbishop, who is the permanent observer of the Holy See, referred to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 that demonstrated that religious freedom can act as a bridge among human rights. His recommendation was that religion should be part of not only civil and political arenas, but also the consideration of economic, social and cultural rights.
He continued, “the presence and influence of the principal world religions have often been a means of transcending the subjective limitations of the positivist juridical order with objective moral norms that serve the common good of all humanity.”
The archbishop also pointed out that acknowledging religious freedom does not mean “that public powers should work in such a way that the profession of a religion limits civil rights or political and institutional participation.” Religious freedom is never something that should be used “to deny economic, social and cultural rights to individuals or to communities.”