Holy See at Human Rights Council: May all nations be instruments of peace – Vatican News

(Vatican News Network)Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office at Geneva, attended and addressed the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council. He quoted Pope Francis and asked everyone present to reflect on whether we have done everything we can to prevent this sporadic third world war.

Cooperation and trust are the only guarantee of safety

In fact, says Archbishop Nwashuku, we “are all called to be instruments of peace, working for a new sense of responsibility and common solidarity, while fostering an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual trust as the basis for a lasting peace”. A year into the war in Ukraine, this goal has become increasingly widespread and difficult, not only for victims of combat or attacks on civilian infrastructure, but also for the impact on the energy and food production sectors The whole region, even outside of “Europe”. The only guarantees of security are indeed cooperation and trust, not rearming. Therefore, “the Holy See once again calls on the international community to embark on the path of general disarmament”.

Don’t turn a blind eye to immigration

The observer for the Holy See then underlines that “conflict, socio-political instability, and increasingly frequent natural disasters” are the main reasons for migration. Migration, however, is not always an easy choice, with people often making dangerous journeys, taking unsafe routes and often at the mercy of human traffickers to reach their destination. Therefore, the international community “cannot turn a blind eye or take individual measures”. “On the one hand, it is important to provide humanitarian assistance in emergency situations and to facilitate the integration of migrants into host countries; on the other hand, it is important to work multilaterally to guarantee the right of people to remain in their countries of origin in peace and safety “.

promotion of the right to life in all its forms

The archbishop then pointed out that multilateral cooperation is in crisis, as highlighted by the war in Ukraine and the inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, even in many international forums, where some countries are increasingly trying to impose their views in order to pass The poorest and developing countries often suffer the most from making aid conditional on specific programmes. This is an “ideological colonization” such as the promotion of “so-called abortion rights”. They “misinterpret the concept of progress and use it as an excuse. This coercive approach to international policy is not conducive to people’s enjoyment of their basic rights”. The Archbishop reiterates: “When life itself is not considered a value, it is subjugated to specific interests, especially when those involved are unable to protect themselves, unable to protect themselves. This includes children, the unborn, the sick. , the elderly and the disabled. The right to life is also threatened by the death penalty, which unfortunately remains too common. No one can claim the right to life of another human being.”

protection of religious freedom

According to Archbishop Nvashuku, the Holy See has also brought to the attention of the Human Rights Council the issue of discrimination on the grounds of religion, which affects a third of the world’s people. He noted that “it is worrying that people are being persecuted simply for speaking out about their beliefs,” sometimes by state authorities against minorities. Attacks on places of worship and religious leaders have also increased. Furthermore, in some countries, under the veneer of tolerance and inclusion, “there is a subtle form of censorship, so that expressing one’s beliefs may offend the sensibilities of others”. As the Pope said, “freedom of religion cannot be reduced to freedom of ceremonial worship, but is one of the basic conditions for a life of dignity”.

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