Holy See urges more effort to guarantee freedom of religion

(March 05, 2012) The Holy See has expressed its concern to the United Nations Human Rights Council saying freedom of religion is disregarded in several places in the world with terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia increasing 309% between 2003 and 2010. Approximately 70% of the world’s population lives in countries with high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices, and religious minorities pay the highest price. In general, rising restrictions on religion affect more than 2.2 billion people. These were some of the figures cited by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to a Human Rights Council in Geneva, when he addressed a special session on religious freedom on March 1. He said that the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance, which is guaranteed by human rights law and international instruments, is disregarded in several places in the world. Archbishop Tomasi said that figures show that additional efforts are required from the international community in order to assure the protection of people in their exercise of freedom of religion and religious practice. He demanded that States should ensure that all their citizens have the right to enjoy freedom of religion individually, within the family, and as a community, and to participate in the public square. “Religious freedom, in fact, is not a derived right, or one granted, but a fundamental and inalienable right of the human person,” Archbishop Tomasi added.