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Vatican foreign minister prods UN on right to life, religious liberty

October 01, 2010

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on September 29, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states, praised the UN’s accomplishments-- particularly in disarmament-- “in spite of the imperfection of its structures and of its functioning.”

Archbishop Mamberti also cited challenges to world peace, including “excessively onerous” military spending and the “problem of the exercise of the legitimate right of states to a peaceful development of nuclear energy, compatible with an effective international control of non-proliferation.”

“Respect and the promotion of human rights are the final objective of dialogue and of international affairs and they are at the same time, the indispensable condition for a sincere and fruitful dialogue between nations … beginning with the right to life-- including of the weakest such as the sick in the terminal phase and children about to be born-- and to religious liberty,” he added.

“The history itself of the development of human rights shows that respect for religious liberty, which includes the right to express one’s faith publicly and to spread it, is the essential stone of the whole building of human rights.”

 


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  • Posted by: Justin8110 - Oct. 02, 2010 5:47 PM ET USA

    A major obstacle to "world peace" is original sin and the fact that so many people either follow false religions or none at all. As that old bumper sticker says, No Christ, No peace, Know Christ, Know peace. The UN is part of the problem, not the solution. I wish the Vatican would distance themselves from this organization that spreads contraception, atheism and abortion world wide and has no place at the table for Christ or His Church.