Holy See: Promotion of Religious Liberty a priority for world community

(Vatican Radio) Monsignor Janusz Urbanczyk, the Holy See Permanent Representative to the OSCE and other international agencies in Vienna, has made several interventions over the past two days.

We share them below:

STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE

AS DELIVERED BY MSGR. JANUSZ URBAŃCZYK,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HOLY SEE,

AT THE SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING

ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF:

FOSTERING MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING

Vienna, 2 July 2015

Opening session

Mr. Chair,

Allow me to express the gratitude of the Holy See Delegation to the OSCE Serbian  Chairmanship,  to  ODIHR  and  to  all  those  who  have  contributed  to  the  organization  of  today’s event.

As  is  pointed  out  in  the  Annotated  Agenda  for  this  meeting,  the  commitment  to  implement the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and the fostering  of under standing and mutual respect to assist the implementation of these commitments, are  among the original tenets of the OSCE.

The Holy See supports the essential value of these principles and also recognizes  the sad reality that, again as noted in the Agenda: “The right to freedom of religion or belief

has  been  under  increasing  pressure  in  various  parts  of  the  OSCE  area  in  recent  years; growing  instances  of  violations  of  freedom  of  religion  or  belief…  as  well  as  religious intolerance  and  discrimination  continue  to  leave  their  mark  on  societies  and  threaten  the long-term  security  of  the  region”.  In  this  respect  it  should  be  noted  and  underlined  that violations  of  freedom  of  religion  or  belief  may  escalate  in  wider  violence  and  instability, affecting the peaceful relations among the States. Therefore early warning plays an essential role in order to guarantee the security and stability of the OSCE area. OSCE  participating  States  do  not  consider  governments  and  non-governmental organisations on a par with religious communities, in this regard, but recognise  the latter’s unique  character  amidst  other  actors  in  civil  society  (including  associations  of  nonbelievers). Such a unique feature of religious communities is, for example, well highlighted by Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which provides that “recognising  their  identity  and  their  specific  contribution,  the  Union  shall  maintain  an open, transparent and  regular  dialogue” with churches and religious societies or communities.

.The  Holy  See  considers  the  promotion  of  religious  freedom  a  priority  of  its international  commitments.  The  Holy  See  has  concluded  agreements  with  State  actors which, historically and in fact, have gone a long way towards advancing religious freedom. To  this  end,  my  Delegation  invites  closer  cooperation  between  governments  and  the religious and faith communities concerned in advancing the full implementation of this right and offers its own continued willingness to be at the service of this important objective. All religions have an essential role to play in the construction of democratic societies that  are  genuinely inclusive. Understanding  the  meaning  of  this  role is  a  sign  of  political wisdom on the part of States and international organisations.

In  conclusion,  we  wish  to  stress  that  greater  awareness  and  need  for  participating States and non-State actors to recognize that freedom of religion or belief extends also to professing  those  beliefs  both  in  public  and  in  the  environment  of  the family,  allowing parents  to  exercise  fully  their  rights  to  “ensure  the  religious  and  moral  education  of  their children in conformity with their own convictions”.  Strengthening freedom of religion and belief through actions that can foster mutual respect and understanding is another key stone of  a  peaceful  and  coherent  OSCE  region.  We  are  hopeful  that  this  meeting  will offer a precious contribution to that end.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman!

STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE

AS DELIVERED BY MSGR. JANUSZ URBAŃCZYK,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HOLY SEE,

AT THE SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING

ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF:

FOSTERING MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING

Vienna, 2 July 2015

Session I:

Freedom of Religion or Belief and fostering mutual respect and understanding in the OSCE

area – opportunities and challenges

Madam Moderator,

The Holy See is pleased to participate in this timely gathering on OSCE commitments to freedom of  religion or belief  –  a fundamental human right. In fact, for over 40 years, the Holy See  has  sought  dialogue  and  cooperation  through  its  participation  in  the  OSCE,  arguing passionately during deliberations for the Final Act of Helsinki that its Ten Principles prioritise among  all  human  rights  that  of  freedom  of  religion  or  belief  –  which  we  consider  to  be a founding freedom for a secure and stable Europe and OSCE area and for the world  –  as the surest  guarantee  of  the  inviolable  dignity  and  transcendence  of  the  human  person.  Wherever freedom of religion or belief is protected and properly exercised, other fundamental freedoms also flourish.

As has  been  evidenced,  perhaps  more  frequently  in  its  breach  than  in  its  observance, respect  for  religious  freedom  lies  not  at  the  periphery  but  rather  at  the  very  heart  of  the maintenance of security and stability in the OSCE area. The twenty-first century undoubtedly faces its own, very different challenges. Security and stability in many OSCE countries is presently challenged by the call to extend hospitality to  desperate  migrants  fleeing  from  situations  of  religious  intolerance  and  discrimination towards the beacon of hope represented by respect for religious diversity.

The re-emergence of hate crimes, associated intolerance towards adherents not only of the  minority  religions,  but  also  increasingly  against  Christians  –  as  well  as  a  trend  towards marginalization of religious belief from public debate  –  suggests a disturbing augmentation in intolerance  towards  belief  in  general,  as  the  Annotated  Agenda  to  this  meeting  attests.  The resurgence  of  anti-Semitism  and  ethnic-religious  tensions  in  Europe,  the  spread  of discrimination  against  Muslims  and  recriminations  against  Christians  appear  with  increasing frequency in the public agenda.

The  growing  phenomenon  of  non-belief  in  Europe  also  poses  its  own  questions concerning  the  sort  of  secularism  pursued  by  some  States  and  the  quality  of  its  respect, understanding  or  tolerance  towards  legitimate  expressions  of  religious  belief  in  the  public realm;  indeed, it  challenges  the  close  relationship  between  religious  rights  and  another cherished European bulwark against tyranny, namely, freedom of expression. In this regard, my delegation argues for a proper and broader interpretation of these legitimate expressions than the ones listed in the Annotated Agenda for this meeting. Problems concerning the inclusion of religious  believers  in  public  life,  their  professional  exclusion  on  account  of  their  religious convictions, including conscientious objection,1 are all too often swept under the rug of a new political  correctness  which  downplays  intolerance  or  discrimination  especially  when  visited upon Christian believers, even in democratic countries.

Intolerance towards the challenges which religion poses to secularist perspectives falls far short of authentic pluralism, risking instead the triumph of the lowest common denominator, vitiating human freedom through insistence on a uniform single-mindedness and undervaluing the  positive  contribution  religious  institutions  make  to  society,  precisely  on  account  of  their distinctive ethos or value system.

Finally, my delegation also notes positive examples emerging from the OSCE in term of raising awareness of governments and civil societies regarding these phenomena. The Holy See recommends  and  encourages  such  efforts  as  appropriate  for  the  further  advancement  of freedom of religion and belief through this institution.

Thank you, Madam Moderator.

1 The  Helsinki  Final  Act  provides  the  right  for  the  individual  “to  profess  and  practice  …  religion  or  belief  acting  in

accordance  with  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience”.   See  also  Article  10  of  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the

European Union and UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment no. 22 of 30 July 1993 (Article 18 of the ICCPR).

STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE

AS DELIVERED BY MSGR. JANUSZ URBAŃCZYK,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HOLY SEE,

AT THE SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING

ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF:

FOSTERING MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING

Vienna, 3 July 2015

Session II:

Creating the conditions for meaningful and sustained interreligious dialogue

in order to secure stability and security in the OSCE region

Madam Moderator,

The participating States have recently committed themselves to “promote and facilitate open and transparent interfaith and interreligious dialogue and partnerships”. Adopting this commitment they undertook to create the proper atmosphere where inter-religious dialogue can take place, but it should be noted that governments act beyond their   scope when they seek also to condition the content, timing or framework of the dialogue itself, or when they attempt to intrude on the inner workings of the autonomous religious bodies concerned.

Religious  groupings  exist  as  legitimate  forms  of  society  entitled  to  an  internal institutional  structure  in  accordance  with  their  own  doctrinal  principles,  including  distinctive ministries,  officers  or  hierarchy,  their  training  and  certification,  legitimate  mutual  relations between  local  leadership  and  higher  authority  within  the  religious  body,  the  publishing  and disseminating of materials – within and outside places of worship – through the means of social communication, concerning their  moral  teaching on human activities and the organization of society,  as  well  as  the  freedom  to  pursue  their  charitable,  educational  and  social  activities. There is nothing new here, all of this is affirmed in the Helsinki Final Act. Suppression of any of  these  undermines  the  conditions  for  authentic  dialogue.  Where  any  of  these  are  not  fully respected by the State or with its tacit condonation, an open and positive concept of the State is undermined.  To  counter  this,  awareness  should  be  raised  regarding  the  constructive contribution  religions  make  to  educational,  cultural,  social  and  charitable  sectors  of  society.

Such  an  approach  will  also  favour  increased  dialogue  with  the  large  communities  of immigrants in the OSCE area. The State does well to appreciate the contribution these activities make towards the social net and the common good. Another necessary precondition for dialogue is that consultations proceed according to the  dictates  of  reason,  without  which  dialogue  between  actors  holding  a  wide  variety of convictions  could  never  be  possible.  No  religious  group  should  be  considered  immune  from OSCE Ministerial Council, Kiev 2013: Decision No. 3/13 – Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion or Belief.   legitimate  criticism;  however,  where  its  leaders  are  maligned  or  investigated  simply  for elaborating their convictions in perfect accord with the established beliefs of their confession, an  impression  is  created  that  all  believers  are  under  official  suspicion,  thus  seriouslyundermining essential preconditions for dialogue.

During his recent Apostolic Visit to Sarajevo, Pope Francis observed that “dialogue is a school of humanity, a builder of unity, which helps build a society founded  on tolerance and mutual  respect.”  Indeed,  religions  have  an  essential  role  to  play  in  the  construction  of democratic societies that are genuinely inclusive. Understanding the meaning of this role is a sign of political wisdom on the part of States and international organisations.

Moreover, freedom of expression emerges as the next associated freedom  –  intimately associated  with  guaranteeing  religious  freedom.  Legitimate  diversity needs, therefore, to be valued and celebrated if truly open and fruitful dialogue is to take place in an atmosphere of mutual  respect  and  understanding.  The  mere  existence  of  controversy  concerning  views  at variance with other interlocutors (including the State) should never be the occasion of stifling free expression. In the interplay between religious freedom and freedom of expression, it merits mentioning  that  there  is  no  reason  to  feel  offended  by  the  expression  of  the  deeply  held religious convictions of others. Undermining freedom of expression imposes a cure worse than the disease should the perceived intolerance of one group elicit the intolerance of the majority. 

Whereas  the  initiative  for  inter-religious  dialogue  may  stem  either  from  the  religious communities themselves or from State actors, in practice the former proves more fruitful than the latter. Accordingly, the Holy See takes the position that  it is not the immediate  competence of  the  OSCE  and  its  participating  States  to  enter  into  the  content  of  interreligious  dialogue, which is, properly speaking, a matter for the religions themselves.

Thank you Madam Moderator.

STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE

AS DELIVERED BY MSGR. JANUSZ URBAŃCZYK,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HOLY SEE,

AT THE SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING

ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF:

FOSTERING MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING

Vienna, 3 July 2015

Session III:

Advancing Freedom of Religion or Belief and fostering mutual respect and understanding through

dialogue and cooperation between authorities, religious and belief communities and civil society.

Madam Moderator,

During  my  delegation’s  interventions  in  the  previous  two  sessions  of  this  meeting, freedom  of  religion  or  belief  has  been  highlighted  as  being  of  central,  not  secondary, importance to the whole framework of the human  dimension. The Holy See has identified  as counterproductive  heavy-handed  approaches  to  implementing  participating  States’ commitments to promote freedom of religion or belief where these seek to condition that right, circumscribe  the  terms,  timing  or  agenda  of  inter-religious  dialogue  or   undermine  religious freedom to express legitimate diversity of opinion or belief by dictating that dialogue may only proceed according to values prioritised by the State authorities themselves.

In this final session, my delegation wishes to appeal to participating States to join in this important process of cooperation and dialogue with religious groupings as constructive agents of mutual respect and understanding. This requires that participating States resist reductionist notions of religious freedom, avoid the temptation to merge religious belief with State interests or  to  set  them  necessarily  at  odds  with  one  another,  as  well  as  the  temptation  to  misuse occasions  of  cooperation  or  dialogue  to  seek  to  impose  a  specific  agenda  on  autonomous religious  groups.  The  distinction  between  religious  and  civil  interests  does  not  entail estrangement, indifference and incommunicability, but dialogue and sharing at the service of the  authentic  good  of  the  human  person.  Addressing  the  diversity  of  convictions  behind religious belief is essential to meaningful dialogue and participating States should ensure the free expression of such convictions, even through the mass media, even where these address legislative and administrative provisions in their countries.

In  the  first  place,  this  requires  that  occasions  of  dialogue  be  freed  from  the encumbrances of politics. For their part, religious groups need to overcome the politics of self interest antithetical to the very nature of religious belief and educate their own members to  a vision  of  the  transcendental  commonality  shared  with  others  to  make  them  capable  of  meaningful  dialogue  which  can  advance  peace  and  security  in  society.  Secondly,  for  the contributions  of  religion  to  be  able  to  enrich  public  policy  it  is  necessary  for  authorities  to pursue  a  dialectic  of  complementarity  which  better  values  legitimate  diversity  in  religious belief without attempting either to whittle these down to a lowest common denominator or to suppress  or  ignore  them.  Recognising  the  proper  role  that  religions  play  in  intercultural dialogue  and  maintaining  with  religions  an  open  and  transparent  dialogue  is  important  even from a merely political point of view.

Attempts,  however,  to  eclipse  the  role  of  religion  in  public  life  represent  not  only  a reductive notion of the nature of the human person, but also stifle the development of authentic peace and almost certainly will bring about a less just society. Defending a transcendent vision of  human  dignity  that  goes  beyond  the  merely  immanent  and  material  dimension  serves  to safeguard the common good of believers and non-believers alike and establishes the basis on which those with the least voice in society are themselves defended by such a vision.

A correct understanding of the nature of freedom of religion or belief appreciates that this pinnacle of human freedom is an inalienable right rooted in the transcendent dignity of the human person which can never be superseded by apparently competing rights. It includes, on both an individual and collective level, not only so-called “freedom of worship” but also the freedom to follow one’s conscience in religious matters and the freedom to live coherently by manifesting  one’s  views  in  public.  Participating  States’  commitments  to  pursue  freedom  of religion or belief certainly includes the duty adequately to protect public manifestations of such religious belief.

In conclusion, we are hopeful that the outcome of this meeting will contribute to laying the foundations for  participating States to recognize that freedom of religion or belief extends also to professing those beliefs both in public and in the  environment of the family, allowing parents to exercise fully their rights to  “ensure the religious and moral education of  their children in conformity with their own convictions”. Moreover, that religions and beliefs are granted the freedom to determine and develop their beliefs as is guaranteed not only by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , but also in the Helsinki Final Act.

Thank you Madam Moderator.

Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change

his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion

or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”.