Religious freedom of minorities must be protected says Vatican

(March 06, 2013) :Widespread discrimination affecting religious minorities persists and even increases, said Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other International Orgnisations in Geneva, Switzerland.. Addressing the 22^nd session of the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi said “In today’s world, because of their faith or belief, persons belonging to religious minorities experience various degrees of abuse that run from physical attacks to kidnapping for ransom, from arbitrary detention and obstacles in requesting registration, to stigmatization. The prelate pointed out that effective protection of the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities is lacking, or inadequately addressed even in the U.N. and international systems.
Archbishop Tomasi said “While the State should enforce the universality of human rights by balancing freedom and equality, it often identifies itself with the “dominant community”, thus also creating problems for the religious freedom of individuals. He said that the legal recognition of a minority is the starting point for the necessary harmony between individual and group freedom. He added that what the what the State can and should do is - create favourable conditions for persons belonging to religious minorities to ensure that they can take their faith related affairs in their own hands, in order to preserve and further develop their religious community life and identity” Only through respect for this balance can both peaceful coexistence and the advancement of all human rights be attained, he said. To eclipse the public role of religion creates a society which is unjust, as it fails to take into account the true nature of the human person and thus stifles the growth of authentic and lasting peace for the whole human family.