Pope Francis: support for UNESCO initiative

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday gave his support to an international conference on the protection of the cultural heritage in conflict zones, which is taking place in Abu Dhabi on 2-3 December.

The Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Conference is being organized by France and the United Arab Emirates under the auspices of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency.

The conference will involve representatives from more than 40 countries, as well as public and private institutions involved in heritage conversation.

Pope Francis said the theme is “unfortunately starkly current.”

“In the conviction that the protection of cultural treasures constitutes an essential dimension in the defense of what it is to be human, I hope that this event marks a new step in the process of the implementation of human rights,” the Holy Father said.