CARDINAL SODANO: THE MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF SECURITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 1999 (VIS) - Yesterday, Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano spoke during a meeting of the heads of State and government of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is being held in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the name of the Holy See, Cardinal Sodano recalled that "it is impossible to consider stable security in Europe without establishing secure moral foundations.

"A secure foundation," he said, "is in the first place, the recognition of a natural law that regulates all relationships between men, (a law) that predates any positive legislation of individual States. ... A secure foundation for security in Europe is also the recognition of the inalienable rights of individuals and peoples. ... Another foundation ... is the respect for minorities; ... each minority has the right to preserve and develop its own culture. In this context even in Europe, the call for the need of religious liberty remains valid."

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