China must not infringe on religious rights, says top cardinal

Published: 2005-10-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Chinese authorities, like all governments, must not infringe on a person's right to religious freedom, said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state. Cardinal Sodano said that, while the Vatican has always been "ready for dialogue, ready for contacts" with Beijing, the Vatican will continue to demand that China guarantees freedom of worship for its people. "The Holy See has always said it was ready for dialogue, ready for contacts, ready to explain its traditions," he said Oct. 25. "But we must always insist on this concept that the church is one, in all the world, in all cultures, in all nations, and governments do not have the right to tell men and women how they must live their faith," he said. His remarks were reported by the Italian news agency ANSA. The cardinal made his comments on the sidelines of the inauguration of a new congress hall at Rome's Gregorian University. The new hall was named after Matteo Ricci, the 16th-century Italian Jesuit missionary to China.

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