US Ambassador reflects on papal address

“We are in one heart when it comes to the issue of defending fundamental human rights and of course the right to religious freedom”, says US Ambassador, Miguel H Diaz, who was among those present Monday morning at the Pope’s annual encounter with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

“We celebrate the anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the United States today”, he adds “this is a great opportunity to underscore that the US had been a steady defender of the right to religious freedom. President Obama has strongly condemned the attacks against Christians in Iraq, Egypt and Nigeria and has offered any necessary assistance to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

He also reflected on the Pope’s words of warning against the marginalisation of religion in Western society in the name of a false pluralism; “One of the great treasures of American society has been religious tolerance, its at the heart of what it is to be American. We do not have this kind of radical secularism that dismisses the positive contribution of religious figures to society”. Listen to Emer McCarthy's full interview with Ambassador Diaz: