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Universal Rights in a World of Diversity the Case of Religious Freedom

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Universal Rights in a World of Diversity the Case of Religious Freedom THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES XVII Plenary Session Universal Rights in a World of Diversity The Case of Religious Freedom 29 April-3 May 2011 • Casina Pio IV Introduction p . 3 Einleitung p . 5 Introduzione p . 7 Introducción p. 9 Programme p . 11 List of Participants p. 15 Biographies of Participants p. 18 Holy Masses p. 22 Memorandum p. 22 SCIE IA NT M IA E R D V A M C A S O A I C C I I A F L I I T V N M O P VATICAN CITY 2010 he Second Vatican Council, recognizing and making its own an essential principle of the modern State with the Decree on Religious Freedom, has re - T covered the deepest patrimony of the Church. By so doing she can be con - scious of being in full harmony with the teaching of Jesus himself (cf. Mt 22: 21), as well as with the Church of the martyrs of all time. The ancient Church naturally prayed for the emperors and political leaders out of duty (cf. I Tm 2: 2); but while she prayed for the emperors, she refused to worship them and thereby clearly rejected the religion of the State. The martyrs of the early Church died for their faith in that God who was revealed in Jesus Christ, and for this very reason they also died for freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one's own faith – a profession that no State can impose but which, instead, can only be claimed with God’s grace in freedom of conscience. A missionary Church known for proclaiming her message to all peoples must nec - essarily work for the freedom of the faith. She desires to transmit the gift of the truth that exists for one and all. At the same time, she assures peoples and their Governments that she does not wish to destroy their identity and culture by doing so, but to give them, on the con - trary, a response which, in their innermost depths, they are waiting for - a response with which the multiplicity of cultures is not lost but instead unity between men and women increases and thus also peace between peoples. (Benedict XVI, Address to the Curia, 22 December 2005) 2 Universal Rights in a World of Diversity INTRODUCTION The Case of Religious Freedom M.A. G LENDON he Seventeenth Plenary Session of the Pontifi - Explaining the Church’s wholehearted affirmation cal Academy of Social Sciences is the first of of the right to religious freedom in the Second Vati - Ttwo Plenaries to be dedicated to the analysis of can Council, the Council Fathers said that all people developments affecting areas of Catholic Social are “impelled by nature and also bound by a moral Teaching that are likely to come under review as the obligation to seek the truth, especially religious Church prepares for the 50th anniversary of Pacem truth”, but that human beings “cannot discharge in Terris . In that historic 1963 encyclical, Pope John these obligations in a manner in keeping with their XXIII meditated on the requirements of the universal own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external common good in an increasingly interdependent coercion as well as psychological freedom” ( Dignitatis world where new patterns of relations among peoples Humanae, 2). The close relation of religious freedom and states were emerging. Addressing himself “to all to other basic rights was emphasized by Pope John men of good will”, he spoke approvingly of the post- Paul II. The right to religious liberty, he said, “is so World-War II human rights project, even adopting the closely linked to the other fundamental rights, that it language of human rights. can rightly be argued that respect for religious free - Since that time, as Pope Benedict XVI has noted, dom is, as it were, a touchstone for the observance of “Human rights are increasingly being presented as the the other fundamental rights.... The State’s respect for common language and ethical substratum of interna - the right to freedom of religion is a sign of respect for tional relations” ( Address to the United Nations , 2008). the other fundamental human rights, in that it is an The Church, for her part, has deepened her engage - implicit recognition of the existence of an order ment with the human rights project, supporting its as - which transcends the political dimension of exis - pirations for the protection of human freedom and tence” ( Address to the Diplomatic Corps , 1989). dignity, while calling attention to developments that Today, nearly every nation in the world is officially threaten the realization of those ideals. In 1979, Pope committed to freedom of religion as a fundamental John Paul II praised the Universal Declaration of human right. Yet, as Pope Benedict XVI has observed, Human Rights as “a real milestone on the path of the “those who expected that with this fundamental ‘yes’ moral progress of humanity” ( Address to the United to the modern era all tensions would be dispelled and Nations , 1979, 7), yet in 1998 he warned of “certain that the ‘openness towards the world’ accordingly shadows…consisting in the reservations being ex - achieved would transform everything into pure har - pressed in relation to two essential characteristics of mony, had underestimated the inner tensions as well the very idea of human rights: their universality and as the contradictions inherent in the modern epoch. their indivisibility” ( World Day of Peace , 1998, 3). Pope They had underestimated the perilous frailty of Benedict XVI took the occasion of the Declaration’s human nature which has been a threat to human 60th anniversary to credit its framers with having en - progress in all the periods of history and in every his - abled “different cultures, juridical expressions and in - torical constellation. These dangers, with the new stitutional models to converge around a fundamental possibilities and new power of man over matter and nucleus of values and hence of rights”, but expressed over himself, did not disappear but instead acquired concern about the growing tendency to deny its uni - new dimensions: a look at the history of the present versality “in the name of different cultural, political, day shows this clearly” ( Address to the Curia, Decem - social and even religious outlooks”. ber 22, 2005). The time seems opportune, therefore, for the As even a cursory survey of the contemporary Academy to examine the current challenges to the landscape reveals, the religious liberty of individuals, ambitious modern human rights project and to ex - families, associations and institutions is under grow - plore the principal schemes that have been developed ing threat from many different directions. Flagrant or proposed to overcome those challenges. In the violations abound. Tensions are mounting between 2011 Plenary, we will do so by focusing on religious the claim of universality and the diversity of practices freedom as a case in point. and interpretations. Religious freedom is often at - Religious freedom claims the Academy’s attention tacked in the name of other rights and values. There not only because it is central to Catholic thought, but is increasing conflict and confusion about the rela - because the dilemmas and controversies in that area tions among the various bodies responsible for im - are illustrative of the current crisis of the entire plementing human rights at local, national, and human rights project. supranational levels. The problem of fostering habits 3 Universal Rights in a World of Diversity – The Case of Religious Freedom Introduction of respect and tolerance for the religions of others re - variety of attempts to solve that problem within var - mains acute. And religion continues to be used by ious political systems. They will seek to identify suc - some as a pretext for violence. cessful models of tolerance and accommodation. The Academy will begin its exploration of the They will explore such questions as: What should be topic with a series of presentations on the uneasy the limits of tolerance and accommodation? What progress of the concept of religious freedom: its grad - models are available for determining the scope and ual acceptance in religious and political settings; and limits of freedom to practice one’s religion, the free - the persistent lack of consensus on its meaning, foun - dom of religious institutions to govern themselves, dations, and relation to other rights. These introduc - and managing conflicts between freedom of religion tory sessions will be followed by overviews of the and other rights? varied cultural and political contexts for religious Looking toward the continuation in 2012 of its freedom issues, provided by experts on religion and studies on themes of Pacem in Terris , the Academy society; the distribution of religions in the world will devote the final day of the Plenary to religious today; and the current state of religious freedom freedom as a global project. Already in 1963, Pope worldwide. John XXIII called attention to the fact that, with in - The second day of the Plenary will be devoted to creasing interdependence, “each country’s social the principal contemporary challenges to religious progress, order, security and peace are necessarily freedom, and to models for addressing those chal - linked with the social progress, order, security and lenges. In the morning session, speakers will examine peace of every other country” (130). Invoking the the problem of how a universal right to freedom of principle of subsidiarity, he called for the creation of religion can be understood in the light of manifest a global environment “in which the public authorities differences among religions, cultures, nations, of each nation, its citizens and intermediate groups, schools of interpretation, formulations of rights, and can carry out their tasks, fulfil their duties and claim modes of implementation.
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