Religious freedom crucial to world peace, says Vatican's U.N. nuncio

Published: 2003-11-17

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- The Vatican called on the international community Nov. 14 to recognize religious freedom as an intrinsic right of every person and a force for world peace. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, nuncio to the United Nations, said rights were "intrinsic to human nature" and religious freedom lay "at the foundation of the edifice of human rights because it affects the primordial relationship of the human being with the Creator." Speaking at U.N. headquarters in New York, he said freedom to profess religious faith was necessary to "a right social order." He said, "When religious faith is freely chosen and lived in a coherent way, religions play an essential role in ensuring security and in promoting peaceful coexistence of peoples."

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