Vatican City, Sep 22, 2020 / 05:00 am
The Vatican Secretary of State asked the United Nations Monday to return to its founding ideals to protect the common good and the right to life.
"Over these 75 years, the UN has protected and served international law, promoting a world based on the rule of law and justice, rather than on weapons and might," Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in a video message released Sept. 21.
"The United Nations is not perfect and it has not always lived up to its name and ideals, and it has harmed itself whenever particular interests have triumphed over the common good," the Vatican official said.
Addressing the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its founding, Parolin underlined that the universal human rights that the UN has strived to champion "include the right to life and freedom of religion," which he said "are essential for the much needed promotion of a world where the dignity of every human person is protected and advanced."