On January 10 the Holy Father gave his annual address to the assembled representative of the diplomatic corps from 180 countries and international organizations. It is a remarkable speech and deserves wide dissemination. His theme focused on the growing religious persecution evident throughout the world, but perpetrated most violently in Asia and parts of Africa.
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| Pope Benedict addresses members of the Diplomatic Corps (10 Jan 11) |
But Pope Benedict also addressed the more subtle forms of persecution that occur in the West, a form of persecution in which those holding religious beliefs are increasingly marginalized and denied basic human rights, ironically under the banner of "tolerance". For example, at one point he stated:
"Turning our gaze from East to West, we find ourselves faced with other kinds of threats to the full exercise of religious freedom. I think in the first place of countries which accord great importance to pluralism and tolerance, but where religion is increasingly being marginalized. There is a tendency to consider religion, all religion, as something insignificant, alien or even destabilizing to modern society, and to attempt by different means to prevent it from having any influence on the life of society. Christians are even required at times to act in the exercise of their profession with no reference to their religious and moral convictions, and even in opposition to them, as for example where laws are enforced limiting the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care or legal professionals. In this context, one can only be gratified by the adoption by the Council of Europe last October of a resolution protecting the right to conscientious objection on the part of medical personnel vis-à-vis certain acts which gravely violate the right to life, such as abortion."
Here's a link to the pope's complete address:
Pope Benedict's Address to the Diplomatic Corps
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