Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The Church believes that human rights express the transcendent dignity of the person, the only creature that God has willed for himself as an end and never a means, and she believes that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was a moment of fundamental importance in the development, of humanity as a whole, of a moral conscience in conformity with the dignity of the human person.” This was the statement made by Cardinal Renato R. Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, in presenting the solemn commemorative events which will be taking place in the Vatican, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, along with the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, will be organizing various activities to take place on December 10, which Cardinal Martino says “are an attempt both to celebrate this famous document of the United Nations and to highlight its perennial importance, proposing its educational and instructional value in the establishment of a world of greater justice and solidarity.”
The Compendium of the Church's Social Doctrine affirms in #152: “The Church's Magisterium has not failed to note the positive value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948, which Pope John Paul II defined as “a true milestone on the path of humanity's moral progress.”
On December 10, in the Paul VI Audience Hall, a two-part solemn celebration will be held. The first half, beginning at 4pm, will consist in a commemorative act for reflection and study, attended by the heads of the various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the Diplomatic Corps to the Holy See. Talks addressing the importance and current significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will be given by: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State; Dr. Juan Somavia, General Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO); Dr. Jacques Diouf, General Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cardinal Martino will introduce and conclude the commemorative act.
The second half of the program will be marked by the presence of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, beginning at 6pm, with a classical music concert given by the Brandenburrgisches Staatsorchester of Frankfurt, conducted by composer Inma Shara.
Before the Concert begins, the Saint Matthew Foundation will present its 2008 awards, given in memory of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, to the following people and organizations: Dr. Cornelio Sommaruga, former President of the International Red Cross Committee; Cardinal Van Thuân, Solidarity and Development 2008, to: Father Pedro Opeka, author of the project AKAMASOA, a project for building houses for the homeless of Tananarivo (Madagascar); Father José Raúl Matte, Camilian priest and doctor working with lepers in the Amazon, in the Hospital “São Camilo y São Luis”; GULUNAP, a School of Medicine in Gulu, in North Uganda, linked to the University “Federico II” of Naples (Italy); the Project "Gruppo Ercolini-Villaggio degli Ercolini,” which works towards a social-cultural integration of gypsy youth, through the improvement of certain sectors of Rome. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2008)
