Statement by Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi at the UN Human Rights Council

(March 03, 2011) At the heart of fundamental human rights is freedom of religion, conscience and belief: it affects personal identity and basic choices and it makes possible the enjoyment of other human rights, says the Holy See Representative. But an increased proliferation of episodes of discrimination and acts of violence against persons and communities of faith and places of worship in several different geographical regions of the world denies in practice the principle proclaimed in law. Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva said this during the 16th Session of the Human Rights Council on the 2^nd of March. He added that the State has the duty to defend the right to freedom of religion and it has therefore the responsibility to create an environment where this right can be enjoyed. The Archbishop said that the state must promote religious tolerance and understanding throughout society, a goal that can be achieved if educational systems teach respect for all and judicial systems are impartial in the implementation of laws and reject political pressure aimed at ensuring impunity for perpetrators of human rights crimes against followers of particular religion. He emphasised the fact that the freedom of religion is a value for society as a whole. The State that protects this right enables society to benefit from the social consequences that come with it: peaceful coexistence, national integration in today’s pluralistic situations, increased creativity as the talents of everyone are placed at the service of the common good. He concluded with the words of Pope Benedict XVI that “religious freedom is the fundamental path to peace. Peace is built and preserved only when human beings can freely seek and serve God in their hearts, in their lives and in their relationships with others.”