MANILA, Philippines, September 29, 2011 — Christians suffer persecution because of their faith than any other religious group in the world, a high Vatican official said.
The official, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States for the Holy See, spoke before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Wednesday, the final day of the annual general debate.
The Holy See, which is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, has observer status at the UN.
“Respect for religious freedom is the fundamental path for the construction of peace, the recognition of human dignity and the safeguarding of human rights,” said Mamberti.
“The particular influence of a specific religion in a nation should never imply that citizens belonging to other faiths should be discriminated against in social life or, even worse, that violence against them should be tolerated,” he said.
The archbishop also reiterated the Holy See’s appeal to the authorities and religious leaders for the protection of religious minorities wherever they are threatened.
He cited religious freedom among three challenges he raised, the other two being the duty of the international community to take care of its weakest members, and the prolonged global economic and financial crisis.
Mamberti mentioned the victims of the drought and famine raging in the Horn of Africa, linking it with the responsibility to protect, under which the international community has the duty to intervene if states cannot or will not guarantee that protection.
He noted that the responsibility to protect was invoked in cases of conflict and warned that the use of force should be the very last resort, after all other efforts at prevention have failed.
On the financial crisis, the archbishop stressed that the economy cannot only function by market self-regulation, and even less in accordance with agreements limited to reconciling the interests of the most powerful.
“It needs an ethical basis in order to function for humanity,” he said, calling any other non-ethical basis “ingenuous or cynical, and always fatal.”
Mamberti said the international community should also concern itself with an effective and applicable Arms Trade Treaty.
He said that the goal should not be merely regulating trade and creating obstacles to illegal markets, but also creating respect for human life.
Mamberti added that "courageous decisions also needed to be made for the right of Palestinians to have their own sovereign State and the right of Israel to have security."
The Holy See urged both parties to return to negotiations with determination and resolve, issuing a call to the international community to help foster lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
The official, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States for the Holy See, spoke before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Wednesday, the final day of the annual general debate.
The Holy See, which is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, has observer status at the UN.
“Respect for religious freedom is the fundamental path for the construction of peace, the recognition of human dignity and the safeguarding of human rights,” said Mamberti.
“The particular influence of a specific religion in a nation should never imply that citizens belonging to other faiths should be discriminated against in social life or, even worse, that violence against them should be tolerated,” he said.
The archbishop also reiterated the Holy See’s appeal to the authorities and religious leaders for the protection of religious minorities wherever they are threatened.
He cited religious freedom among three challenges he raised, the other two being the duty of the international community to take care of its weakest members, and the prolonged global economic and financial crisis.
Mamberti mentioned the victims of the drought and famine raging in the Horn of Africa, linking it with the responsibility to protect, under which the international community has the duty to intervene if states cannot or will not guarantee that protection.
He noted that the responsibility to protect was invoked in cases of conflict and warned that the use of force should be the very last resort, after all other efforts at prevention have failed.
On the financial crisis, the archbishop stressed that the economy cannot only function by market self-regulation, and even less in accordance with agreements limited to reconciling the interests of the most powerful.
“It needs an ethical basis in order to function for humanity,” he said, calling any other non-ethical basis “ingenuous or cynical, and always fatal.”
Mamberti said the international community should also concern itself with an effective and applicable Arms Trade Treaty.
He said that the goal should not be merely regulating trade and creating obstacles to illegal markets, but also creating respect for human life.
Mamberti added that "courageous decisions also needed to be made for the right of Palestinians to have their own sovereign State and the right of Israel to have security."
The Holy See urged both parties to return to negotiations with determination and resolve, issuing a call to the international community to help foster lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.