Teresa FloresLatin America has environments hostile to religious freedom".Persecution of the Church in Nicaragua continuesOctober 27, 2023 is the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act. In 1998, the United States made religious freedom an element of its foreign policy. Through this law, the United States pledged to uphold this right in countries that violate it, and to protect religious freedom in countries where it is violated. persecuted persons by their creed.
When this decree was promulgated, the position of ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom was established. A committee focused on this area was also created. Since then, each year the State Department and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom publish reports highlighting attacks on this basic right and proposing measures to end them.
To commemorate the anniversary of this milestone, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement. The note is signed by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and Bishop David J. Malloy. They are, respectively, the chairman of the bishops' conference committee on religious liberty and the chairman of the committee on International Justice and Peace.
A front that remains open
Dolan and Malloy's text begins by mentioning the declaration on religious freedom of the Second Vatican Council, "Dignitatis humanae"promulgated by Pope Paul VI. It affirmed that everyone has the right to this freedom, which has its foundation "in the very dignity of the human person". Therefore, governments have the duty to ensure the protection of this freedom so that "no one is compelled to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs".
Despite efforts to protect the conscience of citizens, the reality is tragic. "80 % of the world's people live in countries where there are high levels of governmental or social restrictions on religion."
Faced with this situation, Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Malloy invite Catholics to join in prayer with the Pope "so that freedom of conscience and religious freedom may be recognized and respected everywhere".
