The quest for peace demands the commitment and tireless engagement of
governments, of civil society and of all men and women of good-will.
The appeal of that objective is well expressed in the words of Pope
Benedict: “Peace brings to full fruition the deepest qualities and
potentials of the human person, the qualities which can change the world
and make it better. It gives hope for a future of justice and peace,
even in the face of grave injustice and material and moral poverty.”
The challenges for achieving world peace remain as daunting as ever.
However, our own experience on the island of Ireland and the peaceful
construction of the European Union show that peace is not an illusion
and that it can be achieved, even after centuries of hatred and
conflict.
At this time of the year, it is appropriate to recall the special
contribution of those who serve as peace-keepers in missions carried out
under the auspices of the United Nations.
Ireland is proud of its
soldiers and Gardaí who are continuing the long tradition of
professional service around the world to secure peace and stability as
an expression of our commitment to the cause of world peace.
The past year has seen positive developments in the area of nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation, including the successful review
conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with which Ireland
has a long and close association.
However, much remains to be done to
address ever-continuing threats.
The precarious nature of the peace on
the Korean peninsula, with the attendant nuclear threat from the
Democratic Republic of North Korea, has been highlighted in recent
weeks, while other States have also failed to cooperate in ensuring
compliance with the international non-proliferation regime.
All of us
have a responsibility to ensure that the nuclear threat does not become
even more menacing.
Peace and Human Rights are indivisible.
I, therefore, welcome the
focus of His Holiness pope Benedict XVI on the question of freedom of
religion in his message for World Peace Day and support his assertion
that: The right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity of
the human person.
The contribution of faith communities has been profound: Pope
Benedict speaks “of the religious dimension of culture, built up over
centuries thanks to the social and especially ethical contributions of
religion. This dimension is in no way discriminatory towards those who
do not share its beliefs, but instead reinforces social cohesion,
integration and solidarity.”
Beyond that societal contribution, there is
the inherent right of the person to religious belief and practice, a
right which the Pope’s message expresses as the ability “freely to
exercise the right to profess and manifest, individually or in
community, his or her own religion or faith, in public and in private,
in teaching, in practice, in publications, in worship and in ritual
observances.”
It is the duty of governments to ensure that all are afforded the
right and freedom to profess and practice their religion of choice,
without obstruction or harassment.
At the same time, governments must
respect and fully protect the rights of those who profess no religion.
Pope Benedict observes that “A healthy dialogue between civil and
religious institutions is fundamental for the integral development of
the human person and social harmony.”
The Irish Government values the
principle and practice of structured dialogue with faith communities and
non-confessional bodies as part of its duty to build up the conditions
for peace in our day.
SIC: MS/IE