Family is key ally in fighting crime, Vatican official tells Interpol
(Nov. 111, 2012) The absolute frontline in the prevention of crime is the family,
a top Vatican official told members of Interpol, the international police organization
on Tuesday. To prevent crime and violence, societies must educate citizens about their
own dignity and the value of each human life, promote solidarity and instil a sense
of justice in society. These are all values that can be learned earliest and best
in the family, said Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's secretary for relations
with states. The archbishop spoke to members of Interpol holding their general assembly
from Nov. 5-8 in Rome. The 190 country-members of Interpol not only coordinate crime-fighting
efforts, but also work together on crime prevention programs. Archbishop Mamberti
said an increase of crime, particularly brutally violent crime, around the world calls
for even greater preventative actions. Prevention requires "the removal of factors
which give rise to and nourish situations of injustice. In this field a primary and
preventative role belongs to education inspired by respect for human life in all circumstances,"
he said. Only with the recognition of the value of each life, he said, will it be
"possible to create a strong social fabric united in its fundamental values and able
to resist the provocation of extreme violence." "In this context, the most important
place in which human beings are formed is the family. The archbishop also insisted
that the respect for human dignity at the basis of good social order also must be
extended to those who have disturbed the social order. "The criminal, no matter how
grave the crimes he committed, always remains a human person, endowed with rights
and obligations," he said. "The state must take steps to prevent and repress criminal
activity and compensate for the disorder caused by criminal action, but doing this,
it always must abstain from mistreatment and torture, and assure the safeguarding
of the fundamental rights that every person enjoys, "Archbishop Mamberti added