Religious freedom is key, Vatican official tells foreign ministers

Published: 2005-12-07

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Freedom of religion is key for creating peaceful coexistence and respect in today's multiethnic and multicultural communities, a top Vatican official told European foreign ministers. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's foreign minister, said "human rights are not negotiable." He said, "The Catholic Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against people or any harassment of them on the basis of their race, color, condition in life or religion." He made his comments Dec. 6 as head of the Vatican's delegation to the annual session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held Dec. 5-6 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. A copy of the archbishop's comments was published Dec. 7 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. Fifty-five countries, including the U.S. and Canada, are members of the organization, which addresses European security issues and crisis management.

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