Vatican foreign minister laments attacks on religious freedom, calls on governments to have ‘detached neutrality’
June 06, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, said that religious freedom, while “not the only aspect of human rights,” is “arguably the most fundamental,” and that “the violation of the right to religious freedom has the effect of undermining not just one right, but the entire category of human rights.”
Speaking at a conference organized by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the University of Notre Dame, and other institutions, the prelate said that “it is a matter of concern that, according to some estimates, almost 4.9 billion people live in countries with serious or very serious violations of religious freedom.”
“Over 365 million Christians, approximately one in seven, face high levels of persecution for their faith,” he continued. “Attacks on churches and Christian properties have increased significantly in 2023, with more Christians than ever before reporting violent attack.”
“The State should exercise a detached neutrality and grant religious groups and all individuals an equal right to the public manifestation of their religious convictions,” the prelate added.
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