Condition for peace

This year, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his Message for the World Day of Peace to the question of religious freedom. This message begins and ends by making reference to the tragic events in Baghdad, where on 31 October last, during the celebration of Holy Mass, two priests and over fifty worshippers were killed. Religious freedom in the world is not sufficiently guaranteed today. This regards in particular those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who are at the present time “the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith” (no. 1). The attacks that took place afterwards during the Christmas festivities represent yet a further confirmation of this fact. The Pope also spoke of the situation in the Western world, where religion is increasingly being marginalized. For, alongside more open forms of persecution, Christians suffer from “more sophisticated forms of hostility to religion which, in Western countries, occasionally find expression in a denial of history and the rejection of religious symbols which reflect the identity and the culture of the majority of citizens. Often these forms of hostility also foster hatred and prejudice; they are inconsistent with a serene and balanced vision of pluralism and the secularity of institutions, to say nothing of the fact that coming generations risk losing contact with the priceless spiritual heritage of their countries” (no. 13). Clearly it isn’t possible to compare the level of guarantee of religious freedom in the Near and Middle East with what happens in Europe. Christians in Iraq can only dream of the freedom that reigns in this field in the countries of the EU. Yet not even here is the situation ideal and the initiatives cited [by the Pope] demonstrate that it is becoming ever more difficult in spite of the growing consciousness of the restrictions, limitations and difficulties. Not all the limitations of religious freedom imposed on Christians are an expression of bad faith. Sometimes, as in the case of the elimination of Christmas festivities from the European Diary published by the European Commission, this seems to be the consequence of thoughtlessness or the lack of any deep roots of European culture in those directly responsible for making this decision. Sometimes this attitude is the secondary effect of an insufficiently pondered non-discrimination policy, which, in the attempt to protect one group, discriminates against others.Are not the protests of Christians the consequence of their excessive sensibility, or vulnerability? After the rejection of any reference to the historic role of Christianity in the preamble to the constitutional Treaty, after the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the banning of crucifixes in Italian schools, and after the more recent attempt by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (McCafferty Report) to curb freedom of conscience, the hypersensibility of Christians is, it would seem, easy enough to understand.In spite of numerous proofs of discrimination against them, however, it would be a mistake for Christians to indulge in self-pity. It’s better to consider the difficulties they have experienced as an occasion to bear witness to Christ. Benedict XVI ends his message with these words: “I also express my hope that in the West, and especially in Europe, there will be an end to hostility and prejudice against Christians because they are resolved to orient their lives in a way consistent with the values and principles expressed in the Gospel. May Europe rather be reconciled to its own Christian roots, which are fundamental for understanding its past, present and future role in history; in this way it will come to experience justice, concord and peace, by cultivating a sincere dialogue with all peoples” (no. 14).But the Pope also refers to some positive signals, such as the adoption by the Council of Europe of a resolution that protects the right of medical personnel to conscientious objection in response to particular actions that are gravely detrimental to the right to life, such as abortion, or the support given by some European countries to the recourse of the Italian government in the question relating to the display of the crucifix in public places, or the far-sighted policy some European countries have adopted in recent days, asking for a concerted response of the European Union in defence of Christians in the Middle East.