Archbishop Tomasi: Certain ideologies limiting religious freedom
(August 24, 2012) Christianity and Catholicism do not curtail freedom, on the contrary
they themselves are sometimes subject to persecution and restrictions, said Archbishop
Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva.
The archbishop is currently participating in the annual Rimini Meeting in Italy, where
thousands of leaders in religion, politics, and culture have descended to discuss
current issues, including religious freedom in the modern world. “We need to make
an extraordinary effort to convince and create a different public understanding that
our differences should not lead to conflict, but should lead to more dialogue,” Archbishop
Tomasi told Vatican Radio. “It becomes also more and more evident that the intolerance
that is increasing is not only based on conflict or violence, but it also is based
on more subtle strategies like the attempt to eliminate the influence of persons with
religious convictions from contributing to the common good by participating in public
life,” the Holy See official said. “So instead of having the understanding - that
is projected by some media - that religion, especially Christianity, is limiting the
freedom of individuals, we should take notice that it is the other way around: That
certain forms of ideology are preventing the free exercise of religion on the part
of Christians, Catholics in particular,” Archbishop Tomasi added.