UN Warned of Religious Animosity by Vatican Official

[trotsky]

Apparently suggesting that citizens of the world have the right to "freedom FROM religion" is showing animosity toward religion.

https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/un-warned-religious-animosity-vatican-official

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, a Vatican observer to the UN agencies located in Geneva, has told the United Nations Human Rights Council that a few international organizations and agencies view religion as a threat towards what they want to do. He alleged these agencies and organizations go against the religious sentiments and the wisdom of what can be termed as humanity's essence. He made this statement on March 2 at the time the UN council discussed freedom of belief and religion.

Jurkovic also took umbrage on the “freedom from religion” sentence. He quoted the phrase from a report written by Ahmed Shaheed. The latter is a special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The archbishop said that the phrase patronizes religion. He continued saying that the sentence also overlooks the wisdom and importance of the world religions and the important part it plays in world cultures.

Jurkovic's speech was on the lines of Pope Francis' criticism of international agencies. The pontiff had railed that international agencies in the pretext of human rights, push what the pope terms “ideological colonization.” According to the pope, the international agencies impose their programs on the economically disadvantaged nations as the condition for being aid recipients.

The Shaheed report to the council noted that treaties related to international human rights are obscured on the relationship status any state must have with belief or religion. The treaties impose duties on the states to be the impartial guarantors of enjoyment of belief or freedom of religion. This includes right to all freedom from religion. The latter is valid for all groups and individuals within the territory and also subject to jurisdiction.

It's also worth noting that coming from the RCC, the agencies doing work that feel threatened by religion are generally concerned with sexual/reproductive rights and freedom. The RCC strongly opposes efforts in that area, choosing instead to work against equality for LGBT* people and access to birth control.

[MineralMan]

1. So, now the battle begins against those who want "freedom from religion?"

Why am I not surprised that this comes from the RCC, which is fighting a battle to retain its relevance in the 21st century? As parishes in the US shut down due to low congregation numbers and a shortage of new priests coming through the seminary pipeline, it must be giving the church hierarchy pause.

Now, they have to start fighting those who value their "freedom from religion." That just won't do, the Church thinks.