Vatican diplomat calls for subsidiarity in international development decisions
September 15, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Stating that “nobody should be a passive recipient of decisions made by others,” a Vatican diplomat emphasized the importance of subsidiarity in international development decisions.
“Participation is best ensured through subsidiarity, with decisions taken as close as possible to those affected, and with higher authorities complementing, but never supplanting, families, communities and the intermediary bodies of society,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said during a meeting with the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to development.
“Participation should also promote integral human development, addressing every person’s spiritual, cultural, moral, and relational dimensions, as well as their economic needs,” the prelate continued. “Participation therefore requires the active involvement of faith-based communities, through which individuals can express their convictions and pursue the common good.”
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