Respect the rights of religious minorities;
respect Holy Places
On Friday, 12 April, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Permanent Observer
of the Holy See in Geneva, addressed the issue of the Holy Places in the
Holy Land that Have Great Importance For the Three Monotheist Religions
and For Humanity. He was contributing to the debate on religious liberty
during the meeting of the 58th Session of the UN Commission on Human
Rights. First of all, Archbishop Martin addressed the issue of respect
for the religious freedom of religious minorities where there is a State
religion of the majority. "The Holy See welcomes dialogue with
governments in order to ensure the widest possible respect for the
religious freedom of all. An open and frank dialogue will contribute to
overcoming misunderstandings. All can work together in a common search
for ways to ensure that people in any country, respectful of local
culture and traditions, can freely profess their faith, while being able
to 'establish and maintain communications with individuals and
communities in matters of religion and belief at the national and
international level'".
Archbishop Martin spelled out what respect for the holy places has to
mean. "The Holy See stresses that respect for these norms (First
Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions [art. 53] as well as the
1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property) applies
to all conflicts and to all parties in a conflict. The Holy Sites in
Jerusalem and the Holy Land have a special significance for the three
monotheistic traditionsindeed for
the whole of humanity. Disrespect for or misuse of these sites
constitutes a violation of international normsas
well as bilateral agreements".
Mr Chairman,
The right to freedom of religionenshrined
in art. 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rightshas
always been regarded as one of the cornerstones of the human rights
edifice, since it touches one of the deepest dimensions of a person's
life and search for truth. To violate the right to freedom of religion
is to violate one of the deepest sanctuaries of the dignity of a human
person.
The Delegation of the Holy See wishes to address two questions
concerning the realization of religious freedom within pluralist
democratic societies.
Do not cripple the active role of religious believers in a
pluralist society
1. Respect for religious freedom means, today, welcoming the
contribution of religious believers as vital for the construction of a
lasting peace. Working together, in a spirit of mutual respect,
religions can bring a vital and original contribution to the coexistence
of peoples and to peace. Religious leaders, invited by Pope John Paul II
on January 24th to Assisi, committed themselves to a "Decalogue for
Peace", rejecting terrorism and condemning "every recourse to
violence and war in the name of God or of religion" (cf. L'Osservatore
Romano, 6 March 2002, p. 12).
The International Consultative Conference on School Education in
relation to Freedom of Religion and Belief, organized by the Special
Rapporteur in Madrid in November last, provided a useful model of how to
proceed in examining ways in which freedom of religion can be guaranteed
and how religious belief can flourish within the framework of pluralist
democratic regimes.
The very term "pluralist" implies that religious believers
be recognized, alongside others, as active protagonists within their
societies. It means that religious belief or adherence to a particular
religious confession should not be an obstacle for access to professions
in public life. It means that anti-religious teachings be eliminated
from the school curriculum and from official documentation.
Recognize the rights of religious minorities where there is
a State religion
2. The question of religious minorities, especially where a
particular religious tradition is dominant, is addressed in different
ways in national legislation. Forty-eight countries, in fact, recognize
a particular religion as having a special Status, either as a State
religion, an official or traditional religion or as the religion of the
majority of the inhabitants. The position of the Holy See regarding such
situations was set out by the Second Vatican Council which affirmsfully
in accordance with human rights instrumentsthat
"if because of the circumstances of a particular people, special
civil recognition is given to one religious community in the
constitutional organization of a State, the right of all citizens and
religious communities to religious freedom must be recognized and
respected as well" (Declaration on Religious Liberty, n. 6). This
right must apply, evidently, also to non-citizens who reside temporarily
within a country, bringing the contribution of their work to the good of
society.
The Holy See welcomes dialogue with governments in order to ensure
the widest possible respect for the religious freedom of all. An open
and frank dialogue will contribute to overcoming misunderstandings. All
can work together in a common search for ways to ensure that people in
any country, respectful of local culture and traditions, can freely
profess their faith, while being able to "establish and maintain
communications with individuals and communities in matters of religion
and belief at the national and international level" (Declaration on
the Elimination of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion,
art. 6).
Respect Holy Places in the Holy Land
Allow me, in conclusion, to draw attention to a question of
particular interest today: respect of places of worship and holy sites
in times of conflict. The First Additional Protocol to the Geneva
Conventions (art. 53), as well as the 1954 Hague Convention for the
Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict, lays
down specific norms in regard to the protection of "historic
monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the
cultural and spiritual heritage of peoples". The Holy See stresses
that respect for these norms applies to all conflicts and to all parties
in a conflict. The Holy Sites in Jerusalem and the Holy Land have a
special significance for the three monotheistic traditionsindeed
for the whole of humanity. Disrespect for or misuse of these sites
constitutes a violation of international normsas
well as bilateral agreements.
Any long-term solution to the crisis in the Middle East must indeed
address the question of respect for and unrestricted access to the
religious sites, sacred to each religious tradition. This is also a
dimension of religious freedom. It is a precondition for fostering a
climate of dialogue between religions in the Middle East, in the service
of peace.
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