{"id":16097,"date":"2016-09-22T21:09:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-22T21:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/religion-has-the-responsibility-to-condemn-terrorism-vatican-official-says-12100\/"},"modified":"2016-09-22T21:09:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-22T21:09:00","slug":"religion-has-the-responsibility-to-condemn-terrorism-vatican-official-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/09\/religion-has-the-responsibility-to-condemn-terrorism-vatican-official-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion has the responsibility to condemn terrorism, Vatican official says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

New York City, N.Y., Sep 22, 2016 \/ 03:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- While genocide, war crimes, and violence against humanity continue to plague individuals across the globe, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin called for the protection of victims of atrocities and urged both religious leaders and national authorities to step up preventive measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the face of these grave crimes, there exists a grave responsibility, first for nation States and then for the international community,\u201d Cardinal Parolin said in a Sept. 20 address.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems entirely appropriate, therefore, to reflect on the responsibility of religious leaders, especially in an ever more interconnected world, to help counter the spread of hatred and violence in the name of religion and to promote more inclusive and peaceful societies,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Parolin\u2019s words came during a keynote address at the \u201cUpholding the Responsibility to Protect: The Role of Religious Leaders in Preventing Atrocities\u201d event, sponsored by offices of the Holy See and United Nations.<\/p>\n

Throughout his speech, Cardinal Parolin drew attention to the popularization of extremism in religion, saying that some religions have been manipulated into becoming a champion for violence, genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n

While freedom of religion is an \u201cinalienable fundamental human right,\u201d Cardinal Parolin said that the international sphere must reject the restrictive interpretations of religion that condone violence, while also allowing religion to take a stance in the public square. He argued that religion is not the root of atrocities, but rather, that they stem from a quest for power.<\/p>\n

\u201cReligions are not the cause of these ills, that result instead from some political, geopolitical, and economic interests, and from the desire for power and domination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll religions aspire to peace,\u201d the cardinal continued, but warned that vicious and misguided use of religion can \u201clead to conflicts and wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of this, Cardinal Parolin urged religious leaders and national authorities to work together in undertaking the heavy responsibility of preventive measures and by condemning the use of religion to promote violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn urgent stance is necessary on the part of religious leaders to condemn without delay all forms of abuse of religion or of religious texts to justify violence and the violation of human dignity carried out in the name of God or a religion,\u201d Cardinal Parolin stated.<\/p>\n

He asked religious leaders to shed light on \u201cprinciples and ethical values written in the human heart by God, known as the natural moral law.\u201d He also encouraged them in their vocations to \u201ccarry out and inspire actions aimed at helping the building of societies based on respect for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cardinal also stated that it is the primary \u2013 but not exclusive \u2013 duty of national authorities to prevent atrocities by ending the trafficking of arms and affirming the dignity of life. He noted an integral part to their responsibility as leaders also means \u201crefraining from supplying weapons, financing or other assistance to the perpetrators of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardinal Parolin additionally pointed to Pope John Paul II\u2019s 1986 meeting in Assisi, Italy, where the belated pope gathered religious leaders from around the world to pray for peace \u2013 an event which Pope Francis recently imitated.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, Cardinal Parolin noted that \u201cthe Holy See will continue to promote both the fundamental moral and juridical principle of the Responsibility to Protect and the right understanding of the social consequences of religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us hope that through the combined efforts of the leaders and believers of all religions and all people of good will, in conjunction with State institutions, based on respect for life and human dignity, and oriented to the good of the human person, it will be possible, one day, to put an end to the atrocities, which for too long have shaken the conscience of humanity, undermined its moral and spiritual fiber and turned people away from the plan of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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