Holy See calls for inter-faith dialogue for peaceful coexistence

(March 24, 2010) Increasing instances of ridiculing religion, of lack of respect for religious personalities and symbols, of discrimination and killings of followers of minority religions and a generalized negative consideration of religion in the public arena, damage peaceful coexistence and hurt the feelings of considerable segments of the human family, said Holy See’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi made these remarks in his address at a conference on Human rights, racial discrimination and related forms of intolerance. He said the protection of the right to religious freedom is particularly important, since religious values are a bridge for, and to all human rights. The legitimate concern, therefore, to prevent derision or insult to religions, said the Archbishop, will have to take into account the interdependence, which comes from the natural relationship of the human person to others - between the individual and the community. Pertinent legislation, therefore, should be oriented to achieve the common good and should be based on values, principles and rules that reflect human nature and are part of the conscience of the human family, rather than on one or the other religion, while taking into account the full implications of freedom of expression and religion.
Archbishop Tomasi said a legislative framework that protects the common good and the equality of citizens in increasingly pluralistic societies implies that the normative systems applicable to believers must not be imposed on followers of other religions and on non-believers, otherwise human rights and the right to religious freedom can become a political tool for discrimination, rather than a tool for ethical interpersonal relations. Nor can the State become an arbiter of religious correctness by deciding on theological or doctrinal issues, as it would be the denial of the right to freedom of religion.
Archbishop Tomasi said the Holy See is convinced that a good road leading to peaceful coexistence is a more positive attitude towards religions and cultures. This can be achieved through an improved dialogue between the different faiths, he added.