Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher participated in an event on religious freedom

“More than 365 million Christians, approximately 1 in 7, face high levels of persecution for their faith,” said Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, during a conference on religious freedom in Rome (Italy), this June 5.

The Sovereign Order of Malta before the Holy See organized the activity, entitled Religious freedom and integral human development: a new global platform, which took place at the headquarters of the Order located on the Aventine Hill. In addition, the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome supported the event, according to Vatican News.

Present were Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State; and the ambassador of the Order of Malta to the Holy See, Antonio Zanardi Landi. The objective of the conference was “to explore innovative frameworks and strategies that promote inclusive policies and commitments in the religious sphere.”

In his speech, Bishop Gallagher stated that religious freedom, “although not the only aspect of human rights, is probably the most fundamental.” A prerogative that is increasingly persecuted: “The violation of the right to religious freedom has the effect of undermining not only one right, but the entire category of human rights,” he added.

Likewise, it indicated that during 2023 attacks against Christian communities and places of worship increased significantly. “It is worrying that, according to some estimates, almost 4.9 billion people live in countries with serious or very serious violations of religious freedom,” said Bishop Gallagher.

The Holy See diplomat recalled the words of Pope Francis about the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, promoted by the United Nations, in which he believes that one of the best indicators for its effective application is religious freedom.

“Religious freedom plays a decisive role in achieving integral human development,” said the archbishop. For this reason, he added, “the State must exercise detached neutrality and guarantee religious groups and all individuals the same right to the public manifestation of their religious convictions.”

“Those who can enjoy religious freedom will also be able to achieve their own integral development and be agents of development in society in general,” concluded Bishop Gallagher.

The Catholic Church and the 2030 Agenda

The Sustainable Development Agenda 2030adopted by the United Nations in 2015, is a global plan that aims to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by the year 2030, through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From a Catholic perspective, this agenda can be considered an important tool to promote the common good and social justice.

However, the Catholic Church expresses concern about certain interpretations and applications of the SDGs that could promote practices contrary to Catholic doctrine, especially regarding abortion and euthanasia.

WYD Lisbon 2023 promoted the 2030 Agenda on its website, and also in some speeches and activities. This generated mixed reactions around the world. The Bishop of Orihuela-Alicante (Spain), Bishop José Ignacio Munilla, He pointed out at the time that referring to the agenda was unnecessary and a mistake on the part of the organizers.