ZENIT, Daily dispatch
The World Seen From Rome
====================================================
VATICAN DOSSIER
* Pope and Chilean Leader Discuss Family Life
* Apocalypse Arrives to Vatican Museums
WORLD FEATURES
* Paul VI's Social Encyclical Still "Urgent"
* Holy See Defends Right to Convert
* Human Rights Not Negotiable, Says Holy See
NEWS BRIEFS
* Archbishop Laments Iraq's Response to Priest Abductions
* Prelates Named for 3 Canadian Dioceses
ROME NOTES
* Tornielli's Pius Passion; Quinn's Family Offensive
DOCUMENTS
* Address of Holy See on Religious Liberty
* Holy See on Tolerance and Nondiscrimination
--------------------------------------
VATICAN DOSSIER
--------------------------------------
Pope and Chilean Leader Discuss Family Life
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI and the president of Chile discussed human life and the family, as well as the Church's positive contribution to that South American country.
Michelle Bachelet and other civil leaders from Chile visited the Pope today, the Vatican press office reported. Following her 40-minute audience with the Holy Father, she met with his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states.
"The cordial discussions provided an opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas on the sociopolitical situation of the country and its role in Latin America," the Vatican reported. "Themes of common interest were considered, such as human life and the family, education, human rights, justice and peace and other important questions on the international agenda.
"Attention also turned to the positive contribution made by the Catholic Church to Chilean society, especially in the social and educational fields."
Bachelet gave the Holy Father a sculpture and a book, representing Chilean culture. The Pope gave the president the papal medallion.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20782?l=english
--------------------------------------
Apocalypse Arrives to Vatican Museums
Exhibition Focuses on Last Book of Bible
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- As the Church begins to arrive to the end of the liturgical year, and thoughts turn toward the end of times, the Vatican has put the Apocalypse on display.
"Apocalypse: the Final Revelation" is the title of an exhibition inaugurated today in the Sistine Hall of Vatican Museums. The exposition is composed of more than 100 works of art, all centered on the Book of Revelation.
The Apocalypse is another name for the last book of the New Testament, also known as Revelation. The work is commonly attributed to St. John the Evangelist, and it describes his mystical visions during his exile to the Greek island of Patmos.
The spokesman for the exhibition, Francesco Buranelli, who is also the director of the Vatican Museums, said that in Revelation there is talk of persecutions, "a hot topic in our times in which the Church is also persecuted."
Alessio Geretti, the director of the exposition, said that the "Apocalypse isn't a book of catastrophes, but rather a book of hope."
The event, which will run until Dec. 7, has been organized at the initiative of the St. Florian Committee of the Archdiocese of Udine, Italy. The committee explained that its aim is to invite people "to reconsider the last book of the New Testament through a selection of masterworks, outstanding among them a series of ancient icons."
The exhibition is made up of codices, paintings on wood panel, canvases, sculptures, jewelry, engravings and drawings that all date from the fourth to the 20th century.
Some of the works of art are on loan from museums such the Louvre in Paris, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and the national museums of Budapest and Warsaw.
One large section of the exhibition is made up of Byzantine and Russian icons. The centerpiece of the exhibition is composed of important works that record the history of the artistic representation of the Apocalypse.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20781?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
WORLD FEATURES
--------------------------------------
Paul VI's Social Encyclical Still "Urgent"
Dublin Archbishop Recalls Letter's Focus on Person
NEW YORK, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Dublin told members of the United Nations that Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Populorum Progressio" is just as valid today as it was when written 40 years ago.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin made that statement Wednesday at a U.N side event co-sponsored by the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission, noting that in "Populorum Progessio," Paul VI showed a "vision for the future that should lead beyond ideologies and power struggles toward the concept of what he calls authentic development."
The Irish prelate spoke of the cultural and ecclesial context of 1967, the year the encyclical was written. Noting the various complexities of the time, Archbishop Martin said that Paul VI focused on a key element of Catholic social doctrine: the primacy of the person.
The concept "is a very simple one," the archbishop said. "Authentic development 'must foster the development of each person and of the whole person.' In authentic development, economics are not to be separated from human realities, nor development from the civilization in which it takes place.
"What counts is the person -- each individual person, each human group, and humanity as a whole."
Integrity
"Development is person-centered," Archbishop Martin affirmed, "but it looks at the human person in his or her integrity and within the communities in which he or she lives and in terms of humanity as a whole.
"It is not possible to talk about human development without talking about spiritual development and the person's relationship with God. The Church would not be true to its mission if in the area of development it did not draw attention to this aspect of the identity of the human person.
"Authentic development must be concerned about the development of the person in his or her integrity; that means not just their economic development. [] It would be wrong to separate social teaching from the Church's teaching on the human person, male and female; it would be wrong to limit social teaching to the merely social, political or economic. The fostering of the family is essential if we are aim at a type of development that is truly rooted in the deepest reality of what it is to be a human person."
Capitalism
Archbishop Martin also focused on the encyclical's evaluation of the model of capitalism emerging in the 1960s.
"The thrust of Pope Paul's thought is that no economic model can be absolutized," the archbishop said. "Capitalism and a market economy have undoubted value, but they too must be written in the conditional."
The archbishop of Dublin said that Paul VI echoed the teaching of the Fathers of the Church in stressing the principle of the universal destination of the goods of creation.
"This principle, which has been applied to themes like land reform, must today find its place in reflection on those common goods of our global world: the environment, water and above all to knowledge and intellectual property," the archbishop said.
World authority
The 62-year-old prelate turned his attention to Paul VI's teaching on an "effective world authority."
"The Pope called for 'institutions that will promote, coordinate and direct' international collaboration among nations 'until a new juridical order is firmly established and fully ratified,'" the archbishop said.
Noting that Paul VI "does not enter more deeply" into what is this effective world authority, the archbishop contended, "We are still very far from having a truly effective world authority for the governance of global goods. The existing structures are often inadequate, politically weighted in one direction or the other, and at times they work against each other."
"Were Pope Paul here with us today," the archbishop said, "he would certainly be saying thanks to all those who have given themselves in the service of humanity within the U.N. system. He would surely also certainly be making remarks on the slow progress of U.N. reform. We need a well-functioning United Nations."
He continued: "On the other hand the concept of an effective world authority is being challenged by disregard for international norms where powerful nations -- I deliberately chose the plural -- place their trust in force.
"We must also note that the door for force is opened when humanitarian or diplomatic opportunities are not followed with vigor. The international political climate which inhibits the United Nations to address a number of the world's major humanitarian crisis is a source of frustration to so many."
"The 40 years since the publication of 'Populorum Progressio' have in no way reduced the urgency that was in the appeal of Pope Paul VI," Archbishop Martin affirmed. "That urgency still remains undiminished and it requires then, as now, a response from all."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20780?l=english
--------------------------------------
Holy See Defends Right to Convert
Says It's Part of Religious Freedom
WARSAW, Poland, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org").- Religious freedom includes the right to change religion, and to receive or give catechesis, the Holy See affirms.
Monsignor Anthony Frontiero, an official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, represented the Holy See at the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, on "Human Dimension Implementation" that took place Sept. 24-Oct. 5.
On Sept. 26, Monsignor Frontiero, speaking on the theme of religious liberty, said: "The Holy See reiterates its firm conviction that the dignity of the person and the very nature of the quest for God require that all people should be free from every constraint in the area of religion."
"[T]he Holy See stresses that the right to religious freedom ought to be part of the juridical order and recognized as a civil right," the monsignor continued.
"Unfortunately," he added, "however, such a vision of relations between states and religious organizations seems not always to be shared by all and the right to religious freedom is, as we have seen, being violated, 'even to the point that imparting catechesis, having it imparted, and receiving it become punishable offenses.
Monsignor Frontiero explained: "In his recent address to the Executive Committee of the Centrist Democratic International, Pope Benedict XVI recalled that the right to religious liberty is fundamental, irrepressible, inalienable and inviolable.
"Moreover, the exercise of this freedom includes the right to change religion, which should be guaranteed not only legally, but also in daily practice.
"As we witness the varied religious reactions to the social problems of our day, there is evidence that the significant world religions, including Christianity, are promoting peace and justice as essential dimensions of their religious commitment."
The monsignor continued: "Men and women involved in these movements recognize an intrinsic connection between their religious faith and the active concern for the well-being of society.
"Religion will continue to serve as a meaningful, substantial and positive part in the quest for such a new future, especially if religions are delivered from their possible shortcomings and failures, and if they respect authentic aspirations."
"Religion," Monsignor Frontiero concluded, "in the service of peace, human rights and social justice will be effective to the extent that it embraces the Holy Spirit's inspiration to be faithful to its deepest values."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20779?l=english
--------------------------------------
Human Rights Not Negotiable, Says Holy See
Urges Stronger Vision of the Person
WARSAW, Poland, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Human rights must be founded on a strong vision of the person, or else they will degenerate into rights that apply to some, and are negotiable for others, said the Holy See.
Monsignor Anthony Frontiero, an official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, represented the Holy See at the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on "Human Dimension Implementation." The meeting took place Sept. 24-Oct. 5.
On Sept. 25, in his address on tolerance and nondiscrimination, Monsignor Frontiero said: "The delegation of the Holy See continues to be concerned with the all-too-often and flagrant violations against the right to freedom of religion throughout the OSCE region.
"In his message for the celebration of the 2007 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the urgent need, even within the framework of current international difficulties and tensions, for a commitment to a human ecology that favors the promotion of mutual respect and understanding among peoples, which is a key to ending intolerance and discrimination, and, ultimately to peaceful coexistence.
"Such a commitment must be guided by a vision of the person untainted by ideological and cultural prejudices or by political and economic interests, which can often instill hatred and violence."
Ideological divide
Monsignor Frontiero continued: "Peaceful coexistence among people is not only threatened by the conflicts between ideologies, but also by indifference as to what constitutes man's true nature.
"Many in contemporary society actually deny the existence of a specific human nature, which only adds to confusion and, in many cases, hinders authentic dialogue.
"Clarity in this regard is needed so that a weak vision of the person will not open the door to authoritarian impositions and leave people defenseless and easy targets for oppression and violence."
The monsignor asked, "Relativistic notions of what it means to be a person offer insufficient justification and defense of human rights; because if rights are absolute, how can they be founded on a notion that is merely relative?"
He added: "Human rights, therefore, must be grounded in the objective requirements of human nature. Otherwise, in some cases the human person is marked by a permanent dignity, and rights that are always and everywhere valid; in other cases a person may not have a permanent dignity, and negotiable rights.
"This state of affairs is what we witness everyday in acts of intolerance and discrimination.
"Without a clear and strong awareness of who we are as persons, it will always be easier to claim that some people are worthy of respect and others are not; some people have the right to life, liberty, and religious belief, and others do not."
"Yet," Monsignor Frontiero concluded, "the task at hand is not simply to condemn actual injustices in the light of an adequately understood concept of the human person and human dignity, but to work together for a meaningful new future."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20778?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
NEWS BRIEFS
--------------------------------------
Archbishop Laments Iraq's Response to Priest Abductions
Kidnappers Set Deadline for $1 Million Ransom
MOSUL, Iraq, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Syro-Catholic Archbishop of Mosul has slammed Iraqi authorities for not having helped to release the two priests recently kidnapped in the country.
The two priests, Father Mazen Ishoa, 35, and Father Pius Afas, 60, were kidnapped on their way to celebrate Mass on Saturday at Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church in the al-Faisaliya neighborhood.
AsiaNews reported that Syro-Catholic Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa, who has been involved in the negotiations, told the Arabic-language Web site Ankawa.com that "not one single politician has called us just to express their solidarity. Not one step of any kind has been taken."
In addressing the Christian community, Archbishop Casmoussa called on its members "to continue praying, because we need peace." He added that "Iraqi Christians are loyal to their country and respectful of every group" who calls it home.
The unknown captors, who have demanded a $1 million ransom, set a payment deadline for this Saturday in a brief telephone call to Archbishop Casmoussa. He said to AsiaNews: "They told me that our priests are doing well, [but] the demand for payment remains unchanged.
"So far there have been no direct contacts with the two priests."The archbishop urged everyone "not to stop praying. It is the only and best thing we can do."
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20777?l=english
--------------------------------------
Prelates Named for 3 Canadian Dioceses
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named leaders for three vacant sees in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Mancini of Montreal was named metropolitan archbishop of Halifax and apostolic administrator of the Yarmouth Diocese in Nova Scotia.
Bishop Martin William Currie of Grand Falls was named metropolitan archbishop of St. John's, Newfoundland. He will remain the bishop of neighboring Grand Falls, directing both sees "in persona episcopi."
The appointments were announced by the Holy See today.
Anthony Mancini was born in Italy in 1945 and moved with his family to Canada. He was ordained a priest in 1970 and a bishop in 1999.
Martin Currie was born in 1943. He was ordained a priest in 1968 and a bishop in 2001.
The Archdiocese of Halifax has 63 diocesan priests, 12 religious priests, 244 religious, 29 permanent deacons and 24 lay pastoral ministers, serving a Catholic population of 161,000 in 74 parishes and missions.
The Diocese of Yarmouth has 37,000 Catholics in 39 parishes and missions, served by 28 diocesan priests, 16 religious, three permanent deacons and four lay pastoral ministers.
The Archdiocese of St. John's has a Catholic population of 111,000 in 72 parishes and missions, served by 52 priests, 214 religious and one lay pastoral agent.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20776?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
ROME NOTES
--------------------------------------
Tornielli's Pius Passion; Quinn's Family Offensive
Catholics Journalists Rallying the Faithful
By Elizabeth Lev
ROME, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Our modern media age has given us much to be skeptical about. Poorly informed scandal-mongering often seems to rule the day, and we tend to view journalists with a jaundiced eye, particularly in what often passes for Catholic journalism in the secular press, where the norm seems to be an ill-concealed and anti-magisterial position.
In the space of one week I met two remarkable Catholic journalists, one based in Ireland and one in Italy. These two men not only provide intelligent reporting and commentary on Church news, but have pursued their vocations to make lasting contributions to Catholic culture.
Andrea Tornielli hails from Venice and has been covering Vatican news for the Italian daily Il Giornale for 11 years. Surprisingly, he has avoided cynicism and maintained a refreshing buoyancy that many journalists quickly lose.
But beyond his well-informed coverage of everything from papal trips to the latest questions in the Italian bishops' conference, Tornielli has taken an interest in the case of Pope Pius XII, producing four books on the man Eugenio Pacelli, who reigned as Pontiff from 1939 to 1958.
The 1998 Berlin commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the Kristallnacht sparked Tornielli's interest in Pius XII. The Night of Broken Glass took place on Nov. 9-10, 1938, and opened the era of Jewish persecutions in Germany.
On that occasion in 1998, Yisreal Meir Lau, then chief rabbi of Israel, asked during his impassioned speech the damning question: "Pius XII, where were you? Why were you silent during the Kristallnacht?" Two Italian newspapers the next day ran that as their headline, with the subhead "The Shameful Silence of Pius XII."
The evident problem with this, Tornielli pointed out, was that Pius XII was not elected until March 1939, four months after the Kristallnacht. This event vividly demonstrated to the Italian journalist that when it came to Pius XII, anything goes. "The black legend around him had become so great that anything negative, including lies, would get newspaper space," wrote Tornielli.
Andrea spent several years investigating documents, records and Vatican archives working with Italian history professor Matteo Napolitano to learn more about this much-maligned Pope.
Tornielli came out swinging in 2001 with the 400-page book "Pio XII. Papa degli ebrei" (Pius XII: The Pope of the Jews), tackling the origins of the blackening of Pius XII's name. This was followed by "Il Papa che salvò gli Ebrei" (The Pope Who Saved the Jews), written with Napolitano.
Tornielli points out that after World War II the state of Israel officially recognized Pope Pius XII's efforts to help the Jews, and that unheard-of honors were accorded to the Pope before and after his death.
"The Philharmonic Orchestra of Israel," Andrea observed, "which refused to play Wagner, considering him Hitler's inspirational composer, asked permission to perform before Pope Pius XII. How can one imagine that they would go and play for 'Hitler's Pope'!"
Tornielli noted that a dark cloud gathered over Pius XII during the turbulent years of the Cold War as well as during the progressive movements of the late 1960s.
Yet this new anti-Pius wave was not caused by the discovery of new information regarding his papacy. In fact, no new documents had come to light since the encomium of the 1950s. And in those years, Andrea points out, "everyone knew what the Pope had said, and more importantly what he had done, during World War II."
Rolf Hochhuth's play "The Deputy" debuted in the Proletarian Theater of Berlin in 1962. Tornielli describes it as "written by a mediocre playwright, seven hours long and intended to purge the German conscience for having democratically elected Hitler."
Despite its tediousness, the play was staged in Paris and London within the year, and the world learned to condemn Pius XII for "his silence."
Tornielli points out that "The Deputy" was actively sponsored by the Soviet Union, which was intensely hostile to the Church. At the same time, many Catholic progressives saw the defamation of Pius XII as a way to divide the old Church regime from the "new Church" they expected to emerge from the Second Vatican Council.
Once Tornielli realized this, he studied the life of Pius XII even more closely, producing two more books, the most recent published this year, a 661-page biography of Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII. This work includes unpublished material from the Pacelli family archives.
Tornielli's book illustrates the continuity of the Church through the period from the first to the second half of the 20th century, as well as the extraordinary modernity of Pope Pius XII.
The journalist observed that "television has affected a great deal of how we perceive John XXIII and Pius XII." Little footage of Pius XII exists, but John XXIII was elected in the age of television. "When John XXIII brought Christmas gifts to the sick children at Bambino Gesù hospital, the televised event moved the world," he wrote.
But he adds, "When Pius XII went in 1943 to the Gregorian to visit 2,000 orphaned children and distributed gifts, no television camera was present."
Tornielli's work has uncovered documents recognizing Pius XII's early understanding of the anti-Catholic nature of the nationalist parties, as well as refreshing details about his pontificate. He reported, "After John Paul II, Pius XII canonized more women than any other Pope, and percentagewise he actually canonized the most -- at 54%."
Pius XII also continued with the topic of liturgical reform and was open to the hypothesis of evolution, which he cited in his encyclical "Humani Generis." He met and addressed all sorts of scientists from astrophysicists to plastic surgeons; reading and learning about their work to be able to discuss their work with them from a more informed position.
Last May 8, Pius XII received a proclamation of heroic virtue, the first step up the ladder of sainthood. I asked Tornielli whether he thought he would live to see Pope Pacelli canonized. He shrugged with a wry smile, "All we can do is pray." And in Tornielli's case, publish.
Knight of the Round Table
Last week I met with David Quinn, an Irish journalist who for years served as editor of the Irish Catholic, the principal Catholic paper in Ireland. He still contributes columns to both the Irish Catholic and the Independent, but he has turned his journalistic talents in other directions as well, using his quick wits to grapple with the many-headed hydra of anti-Catholicism.
Although he was baptized Catholic in his native Ireland, it took several years in Australia, working and meeting with the lively evangelical community, to reawaken his Catholic faith and convert him "from a nominal Catholic to a committed one."
Returning to Ireland, Quinn started his career as a journalist in 1994, working for the Sunday Business Post, but as the sexual scandals involving Irish priests swelled into epic proportions, he noticed that not one word was said or written in defense of the Church.
As people used the scandals to promote the question of married priests or simply to bash the Church for any of its positions, no one was prepared to answer. Quinn, probably drawing from his experience among the evangelicals, pugnaciously stepped into the breach.
As the lone Catholic journalist willing to explain and defend the position of the magisterium, Quinn was soon invited to debate on a myriad of subjects from priestly celibacy to same-sex marriage to atheism.
With his clear presentation, good old-fashioned common sense and, well, truth on his side, Quinn has done much to turn the tide of public opinion in favor of the Church.
How does he prepare for the diversity of topics he is called on to debate? "I'm fortunate enough to work in my area of interest -- current affairs -- so my work reading is also pleasure reading," he said.
But Quinn soon realized that playing defense to the volleys of attacks wasn't enough. Catholics in Ireland needed a presence that would study, analyze and defend the institution of marriage and the family.
In 2006 he founded the Iona Institute, dedicated to the defense of marriage, which so far has produced important studies documenting the effects of divorce, single parenting and same-sex marriage. He adamantly insists that those who claim that all forms of "family" are essential equal, must bear the burden of proof.
"Children cannot be used as a social experiment," Quinn protests. "One can't just wait and see how the children of these arrangements will be affected; the advocates of alternative families must demonstrate their claims."
The institute also encourages the practice of religion, which is regarded with disdain by most of the Irish intelligentsia. But Quinn argues that the exaggerated personal authority of the modern age has led to higher crime, drug abuse and suicide rates than ever before: "It is far more difficult to have a strong civil society without a certain level of religious practice."
Quinn has also jousted his foes firsthand, debating with atheists such as Richard Dawkins, author of the best-selling "The God Delusion," and Christopher Hitchens, who has stooped so far as to denigrate Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. One senses that the chivalric spirit of the days of Knights of the Round Table may be slowly returning to the Isles.
"There has been a modest revival of Catholic apologists since I've started with the public debates," Quinn admits. "Plenty of good people are covering bioethics and others have started to take an interest in defending the Catholic position on marriage."
As the so-called Dark Age loomed after the fall of the Roman Empire, the papacy in Italy rallied the Christians while the Irish monks saved civilization. Andrea Tornielli and David Quinn remind us that we can still hope for great things from these two nations.
* * *
Elizabeth Lev teaches Christian Art and Architecture at Duquesne University's Italian campus. She can be reached at lizlev@zenit.org.
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20775?l=english
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
DOCUMENTS
--------------------------------------
Address of Holy See on Religious Liberty
"There Are Needs That Find Fulfillment in God Alone"
WARSAW, Poland, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of an address delivered by the Holy See's representative, Monsignor Anthony Frontiero, to the annual meeting of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The meeting was on the topic "Human Dimension Implementation," and it took place Sept. 24-Oct. 5.
Monsignor Frontiero, an official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, gave the address Sept. 26 on the theme of religious liberty.
* * *
Mr. Chairman,
The Holy See reiterates its firm conviction that the dignity of the person and the very nature of the quest for God require that all people should be free from every constraint in the area of religion. Society and the state must not force a person to act against his conscience or prevent him from acting in conformity with it.[1]
This said, the Holy See stresses that the right to religious freedom ought to be part of the juridical order and recognized as a civil right. The Holy See also wishes to stress that such norms are required by the need for the effective safeguarding of the rights of all citizens and for the peaceful settlement of conflicts of rights, also by the need for an adequate care of genuine public peace, which comes about when people live together in good order and in true justice.[2]
Although a religious community may, because of historical and cultural ties to a nation, be given special recognition on the part of the state, such recognition should never create discrimination within civil or social order for other religious groups. Unfortunately, however, such a vision of relations between states and religious organizations seems not always to be shared by all and the right to religious freedom is, as we have seen, being violated, "even to the point that imparting catechesis, having it imparted, and receiving it become punishable offences.[3]
In his recent address to the Executive Committee of the Centrist Democratic International (CDI), Pope Benedict XVI recalled that the right to religious liberty is fundamental, irrepressible, inalienable and inviolable. Moreover, the exercise of this freedom includes the right to change religion, which should be guaranteed not only legally, but also in daily practice.
"In fact, religious liberty corresponds to the human person's innate openness to God, who is the fullness of truth and the supreme good. An appreciation for religious freedom is a fundamental expression of respect for human reason and its capacity to know the truth. Openness to transcendence is an indispensable guarantee of human dignity since within every human heart there are needs and desires that find their fulfillment in God alone. For this reason, God can never be excluded from the horizon of man and world history! That is why all authentically religious traditions must be allowed to manifest their own identity publicly, free from any pressure to hide or disguise it."[4]
As we witness the varied religious reactions to the social problems of our day, there is evidence that the significant world religions, including Christianity, are promoting peace and justice as essential dimensions of their religious commitment. Men and women involved in these movements recognize an intrinsic connection between their religious faith and the active concern for the wellbeing of society. There is evidence of a universal solidarity on the horizon.
Christian discipleship and the quest for personal holiness include responsibility for the world. Faith traditions and religious experience based on reason and truth offer the promise and hope that the spiritual life is to be realized in a sustained, practical involvement for the well-being of God's world.
In 1971, in his apostolic letter "Octogesima Adveniens," Pope Paul VI argued that utopia can be an unrealistic dream that prevents people from effective action. But utopia, rightly understood, is a positive vision that criticizes the existing order, generates a forward-looking imagination, recognizes the as yet unrealized possibilities of the present, and supplies energy for the creation of a new future.[5]
Religion will continue to serve as a meaningful, substantial and positive part in the quest for such a new future, especially if religions are delivered from their possible shortcomings and failures, and if they respect authentic aspirations. Religion, in the service of peace, human rights and social justice will be effective to the extent that it embraces the Holy Spirit's inspiration to be faithful to its deepest values.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
* * *
[1] Cf. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, No. 421.
[2] Cf. Ibid.
[3] Ibid., No. 423.
[4] Benedict XVI, Address to the Executive Committee of the Centrist Democratic International, Sept. 21, 2007.
[5] See Paul VI, "Octogesima Adveniens," No. 37.
[Original text: English]
[Text adapted]
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20774?l=english
--------------------------------------
Holy See on Tolerance and Nondiscrimination
"Human Rights Must Be Grounded in Human Nature"
WARSAW, Poland, OCT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of an address delivered by the Holy See's representative, Monsignor Anthony Frontiero, to the annual meeting of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The meeting was on the topic "Human Dimension Implementation," and it took place Sept. 24-Oct. 5.
Monsignor Frontiero, an official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, gave the address Sept. 25 on the theme of tolerance and nondiscrimination.
* * *
Mr. Chairman,
The delegation of the Holy See joins the previous delegations in congratulating you for chairing this session, and expresses its gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this important discussion.
In particular, the Holy See welcomes the addition of the new Web page on Discrimination Against Christians that the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE has recently posed on TANDIS (Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System). Be assured that the Holy See will do its part in assisting the ODIHR in following and updating this new and important resource in the fight against the discrimination of Christians.
In this regard, the Holy See would like to recommend that the OSCE continue to advance its pro-active concern for this important matter in clear and concrete ways, including monitoring and reporting data on incidents of discrimination and intolerance against Christians, and by sponsoring upcoming data to address this issue among the participating states of the OSCE.
The consideration of tolerance and nondiscrimination at the outset of this meeting is a positive indication of the political will in the OSCE region to face squarely the problems between the interaction of cultures and peoples, which constitute serious political and security issues, and ultimately enables us to relate to one another peacefully and contribute to the advancement of the human race.
The delegation of the Holy See continues to be concerned with the all-too-often and flagrant violations against the right to freedom of religion throughout the OSCE region. Despite the decisions adopted by OSCE participating states to ensure and facilitate the freedom of the individual to profess and practice a religion or belief, alone or in community with others, through transparent and nondiscriminatory laws, regulations, practices and policies, the realization of this commitment remains yet to be seen.
Recent examples of such violations include: the unacceptable intolerance demonstrated in an OSCE country, where some months ago three Christians were brutally murdered; the condemnation, and in many cases detention and arrest, of "unauthorized" religious minorities for "illegal religious activities" because believers pray or go to church; and state-introduced restrictions on religious freedom, including restrictions on missionary activity. In some cases, despite the indications of religious-motivated violence, local police forces fail to intervene to stop attacks on religious minorities.
These episodes of religious violence highlight the underlying tension in the OSCE region around religious freedom. They also are evidence of a certain discrimination and intolerance against Christianity, and in some cases a mockery of Christianity.
Deliberately mocking and undermining central tenets of the Christian faith as a means to promoting the rights of other groups is a flagrant contradiction to the religious freedom and mutual respect that all people should enjoy, not to mention to the work of building a more just and peaceful community. Such practices attempt to dismantle the progress made thus far in the promotion of tolerance and nondiscrimination.
In his message for the celebration of the 2007 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the urgent need, even within the framework of current international difficulties and tensions, for a commitment to a human ecology that favors the promotion of mutual respect and understanding among peoples, which is a key to ending intolerance and discrimination, and, ultimately to peaceful coexistence.[1] Such a commitment must be guided by a vision of the person untainted by ideological and cultural prejudices or by political and economic interests, which can often instill hatred and violence.
Notwithstanding the reality of differences that exist within the various cultures of man, one element that cannot be admitted is the cultivation of seeds of hostility and violence against fellow human beings. "Equally unacceptable are conceptions of God that would encourage intolerance and recourse to violence against others."[2]
Peaceful coexistence among people is not only threatened by the conflicts between ideologies, but also by indifference as to what constitutes man's true nature.[3] Many in contemporary society actually deny the existence of a specific human nature, which only adds to confusion and, in many cases, hinders authentic dialogue. Clarity in this regard is needed so that a weak vision of the person will not open the door to authoritarian impositions and leave people defenseless and easy targets for oppression and violence.
A true human community where people can live together in peace and security presupposes respect for human rights. Yet, if these rights are grounded on a false conception of the person, how can they promote and safeguard a society built on mutual respect and understanding? Relativistic notions of what it means to be a person offer insufficient justification and defense of human rights; because if rights are absolute, how can they be founded on a notion that is merely relative?
Human rights, therefore, must be grounded in the objective requirements of human nature. Otherwise, in some cases the human person is marked by a permanent dignity, and rights that are always and everywhere valid; in other cases a person may not have a permanent dignity, and negotiable rights.[4] This state of affairs is what we witness everyday in acts of intolerance and discrimination.
Without a clear and strong awareness of who we are as persons, it will always be easier to claim that some people are worthy of respect and others are not; some people have the right to life, liberty, and religious belief, and others do not. Objective truth about the dignity of the human person created by God, and the rights and subsequent duties and responsibilities that flow from that dignity, must be the basis for any authentic discussion of every issue that is facing the human family.
Yet, the task at hand is not simply to condemn actual injustices in the light of an adequately understood concept of the human person and human dignity, but to work together for a meaningful new future.[5]
Somehow, hopefully in part through our discussions in these days, we must break through the collective individualism that so often fuels discrimination and intolerance, and find our way to a new imagination based on solidarity. Such a new imagination will lead to a fundamental reinterpretation of social frameworks enabling them to truly foster mutual respect and understanding, and authentically defend human rights as basic conditions for life in community with others.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1] Cf. Benedict XVI, 2007, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, No. 10.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Cf. Ibid., No.11.
[4] Cf. Ibid., No.12.
[5] Cf. John Paul II, "Sollicitudo Rei Socialis," No. 42.
[Original Text: English]
[Text adapted]
email this article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-20773?l=english
--------------------------------------
=================================================================
ZENIT is an International News Agency.
For reprint permission:
http://www.zenit.org/english/permissions.html
Visit our web page at:
To subscribe or unsubscribe:
http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription:
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
To make a donation to support ZENIT:
http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
=================================================================
SEND US YOUR NEWS.
Please send press releases using:
http://www.zenit.org/english/news.html
=================================================================
Copyright, Innovative Media, Inc.
=================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment