Vatican diplomat calls on UN to return to roots on human rights, avoid ideological colonization
October 15, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, called on the UN to seek “true reform” through return to its “foundational principles,” particularly a focus on respect for human rights.
“The roots of human rights are to be found in the God-given dignity that belongs to each human being,” Archbishop Caccia said in a statement for a recent UN meeting. “The State has the duty to promote and protect human rights, which are necessary conditions for human flourishing.”
The Holy See “notes that the interpretation of human rights has often been expanded beyond the scope of both law and consensus, with unintended ramifications,” the prelate added. “Consequently, the assertion of new concepts as rights can become an instrument of ideological colonization.”
Archbishop Caccia also said that the “Holy See insists on the central role of religious freedom, not because it ignores other freedoms, but because it is the litmus test for the respect of all other human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
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