Holy See: Peace is vital for full enjoyment of all human rights

By Robin Gomes

Since “everyone has the right to enjoy peace” all states must strive to fulfil their solemn duty and responsibility to find paths to a sustainable peace, which is the fruit of justice, engaging in “dynamic, participatory process[es] where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation…”.   Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic , the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, made the call on June 14.    He was addressing an inter-sessional workshop on the “Right to Peace”.   

Right to peace and human rights

“This human right that, along with the rights to life and freedom of religion and belief, can be seen as the core of the entire system of protection and promotion of human rights,” he said. “The right to peace and the promotion of peace”, he pointed out, “is indeed a vital requirement for the full enjoyment of all human rights by all.”

Archbishop Jurkovic said that the Holy See has always encouraged multilateral diplomacy as one of the principal venues where nations have tried to harmonize relationships “in accordance with the dictates of truth, justice, willing cooperation and freedom”.   

Peace, development, sustainable development

Pointing to the complementarity between peace and development, the Holy See official cited Blessed Paul VI, who said “peace is not simply the absence of warfare,” and “the new name of peace is development”.  He said this is reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals regarding peace, which says, “there can be no sustainable development without peace, and no peace without sustainable development.”

He said this development consists in integrally respecting each human person, in his/her natural dynamics, from conception to natural death, with his /her cultural and religious values, including personal  inalienable freedom, which is called to discover and recognize the moral law that is written into human nature itself.