VATICAN CITY, SEP 9, 2000 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano spoke yesterday in New York at the United Nations' Millennium Summit, which opened on September 6 in the presence of more than 150 world leaders.
"It is the fervent hope of the Holy See," the cardinal began, speaking French, "that at the dawn of the third millennium the U.N. will contribute to the building of a new civilization for the benefit of all mankind, a civilization which has been called the 'civilization of love'."
Outlining the U.N.'s tasks, he said that "the first duty of the United Nations is to preserve and promote peace throughout the world. This was the essential aim of the founders of the Organization and it remains an imperative today. Still too often war brings affliction and suffering to peoples. In the face of new outbreaks of violence, especially civil and ethnic conflicts, the UN is duty bound to intervene within the framework of its Charter to restore peace.
"In the name of the Pope I pay tribute to all that the U.N. has already done in this field, and I pay homage to the memory of the soldiers and civil personnel who have died in the course of peace-keeping operations."
Cardinal Sodano added that "peace is always fragile and it is important to try to forestall outbreaks of conflict, as well as to keep them from spreading. This is why the U.N. needs to develop its capacities in the area of preventive diplomacy."
"The second duty of the U.N." he went on, "is the promotion of development. Even today a significant part of the world's population lives in conditions of poverty which are an offense to human dignity. This is all the more unacceptable when at the same time wealth is rapidly increasing and the gap between rich and poor is growing wider, even inside the same country.
"Furthermore, other evils such as war, the destruction of the environment, natural disasters and epidemics are often exacerbated by the presence of poverty. How can we not draw attention to the fact that the majority of these scourges affect Africa in the first place?"
The Holy See representative observed that "the present situation calls for a moral and financial mobilization, directed to precise objectives, and with a view to obtaining a drastic reduction of poverty. Among these objectives, there is the introduction of incisive measures for the cancellation of the debt of poorer countries, the increase of development aid, and wider access to markets."
"The third duty of the United Nations," he went on, "is the promotion of human rights. Many documents have been drawn up. ... These efforts must continue, since the struggle for human rights never ends, and I would make special mention of the first of these (rights), the right to life, which is so endangered today.
"Pope John Paul II expresses his support for the World Conference against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, to take place next year in South Africa, and he encourages every initiative aimed at preventing the spread of racism and intolerance."
The secretary of state affirmed that, "in addition to this concrete approach to human rights, human rights must be affirmed by giving them a solid ethical basis, for otherwise they will remain fragile and without foundations. In this regard, it is necessary to reaffirm that no one creates or concedes human rights; rather, they are inherent in human nature."
He proceeded to say that "a fourth duty of the U.N. is that of guaranteeing the equality of all its members. ... It is essential to listen to and respect each member when it comes to taking common decisions, and all the more so when deciding policies that concern fundamental moral and cultural values. In this area, it is not licit to try to impose certain minority modes of living in the name of a subjective understanding of progress. 'The Peoples of the United Nations', mentioned in the Preamble of the Charter, have the right to have their dignity and traditions respected."
In closing remarks, Cardinal Sodano said he "wished to recall the position of the Holy See with regard to sanctions imposed by the Organization to oblige a State to carry out its international obligations. A precise process of evaluation and revision should be put in place in each case, as well as procedures to ensure that these measures will not weigh above all on innocent segments of the population."
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