Vatican City, Jul 1, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Yesterday, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the General Assembly adopted a Resolution, submitted as a presidential text, to upgrade the status of the Holy See at the U.N., signifying a more participatory role in the U.N.’s work.
The Holy See's role as a permanent observer now includes all the same rights and privileges as other observers and it will be easier for it to participate in U.N. sessions without a vote.
The Holy See no longer has to ask permission to participate in debates, it has a right of reply, the right to circulate documents and to raise points of order.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer to the United Nations, addressed the General Assembly and thanked the president for “the adoption by consensus of this Resolution on the participation of the Holy See in the work of the United Nations, under agenda item 59, entitled “Strengthening of the United Nations system.”