Pope Benedict XVI delivered his annual address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited
to the Holy See Monday, telling representatives from the 178 states that now more
than ever the right to religious freedom needs to be respected and implemented.
The
January appointment with diplomats is traditionally when the Pope gives what has become
known as his ‘state of the world’ address. Casting his gaze around the world – with
one eye firmly on the future – Pope Benedictonce again singled out religious freedom
as the most pressing issue on a global level.
Delivering his speech in French,
Pope Benedict denounced the targeted killing of Christians in, even within their places
of worship in Iraq, Egypt and Nigeria. He mourned the recent assassination of a Pakistani
governor committed to repealing a blasphemy law which the Pope said is used as an
“excuse to cause injustice and violence”. Pope Benedict also reiterated his concern
for the moment of “difficulty and trial” that the faithful of China are currently
experiencing.
But he noted all these situations, as diverse as they may be,
have one common denominator, a lack of respect for the fundamental human right of
freedom of religion and worship.
He said “The religious dimension is an undeniable
and irrepressible feature of man’s being and acting …Consequently, when the individual
himself or those around him neglect or deny this fundamental dimension, imbalances
and conflicts arise at all levels, both personal and interpersonal”.
Beginning
in the East, Pope Benedict praised the European Union’s efforts for the defence of
Christians in the Middle East, but also underlined that the right to religious freedom
is not fully respected when only freedom of worship is guaranteed, and that with restrictions.
He spoke specifically of the Arabian Peninsula, where numerous Christian immigrant
workers live, expressing his hope that the Catholic Church will soon be able to establish
suitable pastoral structures for them.
From East to West, the Pope then spoke
of other kinds of threats to the full exercise of religious freedom; its marginalisation
from public life, the tendency to tendency to consider religion, all religion, as
something insignificant, alien or even destabilizing to modern society, or worse attempts
to override religious and moral convictions. Here Pope Benedict spoke specifically
of situations when Christians are denied their right to conscientious objection, such
as the case of healthcare or legal professionals and once again praised the Europan
Council for its adoption of a resolution in October last that protects the right to
conscientious objection to acts which “gravely violate the right to life, such as
abortion”.
However the global panorama traced by Pope Benedict Monday was not
completely without glimmers of hope. For example, the news that Vietnam has agreed
to the appointment of a papal representative after more than 60 years and the support
of some European countries in favour of the displaying of religious symbols in public
places.
Concluding Pope Benedict once again repeated to the representatives
of the 178 states, “religion, does not represent a problem for society,..it is not
a source of discord or conflict” and “the Church seeks no privileges, nor does she
seek to intervene in areas unrelated to her mission, but simply to exercise her mission
with freedom”. Emer McCarthy reports listen: