The Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, spoke to the U.N. on June 24th about the recent bombings and attacks on holy places. U.N. plan of action, General Assembly Resolution 73/285, will safeguard religious sites. The Archbishop spoke on how we need to protect the right to freedom of religion.

“A second step is guaranteeing the equality of all citizens before the law, regardless of their religious or ethnic identity, as a basic demand of justice,”

Archbishop Auza, June 24th 2019

The Archbishop included all religions into his speech. He preached about inclusivity and tolerance. Archbishop Auza believes that education is the key to tolerance.

“Society reaps what it sows.”

Archbishop Auza, on education and tolerance, June 24th 2019

Interreligious dialogue and effective education were the Archbishop’s key points on how to stop the recent attacks, such as the catholic churches in Sri Lanka, and the synagogues in Pittsburgh. The Archbishop stated leaders needed to condemn using religion for hatred, educate on tolerance and inclusivity, and respect each other’s religious freedoms in order to stop these hate filled attacks.

“Dialogue is essential to catalyzing the path to mutual understanding, tolerance, acceptance of others, cooperation and peaceful living together,”

Archbishop Auza, June 24th 2019

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