Pope Benedict
Thursday said all states must guarantee the freedom for everyone to
practice their faith publicly, a clear criticism of some Muslim
countries where religious rights are restricted.
The pope issued the call in a
document of nearly 200 pages called an "apostolic exhortation," in which
he offered his reflections on a synod of bishops that met in the
Vatican in 2008 on the theme the "Word of God."
He
said the Catholic Church respected all religions and a separate section
of the document was dedicated to relations with Muslims.
"All
the same, dialogue would not prove fruitful unless it included
authentic respect for each person and the ability of all freely to
practice their religion," he said.
"Respect
and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres," he said, adding that
this had to include the right to profess religion "privately and
publicly and (for) freedom of conscience to be effectively guaranteed to
all believers."
"Reciprocity" is
the term the Roman Catholic Church uses in demanding full rights for
Christians in Islamic states where laws prohibit them from practicing
their faith openly. It has often asked for reciprocity with Saudi Arabia.
At
least 3.5 million Christians of all denominations live in the Gulf Arab
region, the birthplace of Islam and home to some of the most
conservative Arab Muslim societies in the world.
The
freedom to practice Christianity, or any religion other than Islam, is
not always permitted in the Gulf and varies from country to country.
Saudi Arabia, which observes an austere form of Sunni Islam, has the
tightest restrictions.
The Vatican
says Christians in predominantly Muslim countries should be allowed to
practice their faith openly, just as Muslims can in predominantly
Christian countries in Europe.
In
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, any form of non-Muslim
worship takes place in private. Converting Muslims is punishable by
death, although such sentences are rare.
Services
and prayer meetings are often held in diplomats' homes but access is
limited, so Christians meet to worship in hotel conference rooms, at
great risk.
The Vatican has
expressed concern about the fate of Christians in predominantly Muslim
Iraq, where 52 hostages and police were killed Sunday when security
forces stormed a church that had been raided by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen.
In the document, the pope re-stated Vatican opposition to the use of violence in the name of religion.
SIC: RI/INT'L