“Terrorism is a threat to us all, we must also combat it wherever it is, whatever is its banner, and whatever are its means,” said on June 29, 2018, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations in New York, at the high level Conference on the fight against terrorism.
Intervening at the Fourth Session on the implementation of the United Nations global anti-terrorist strategy, the Archbishop encouraged the UN to make the Rights of Man and International Humanitarian Law respected, “to impede terrorists from using abuses against the Rights of Man as excuses for their atrocious acts. Every anti-terrorist tactic that allows abuses . . . will always have the opposite effect” and will augment “local support to terrorism.”
The Holy See’s representative pleaded for the prevention of radicalization, implicating civil societies. “A good part of the success or failure of anti-terrorist strategies rests on local capacities and initiatives. Anti-terrorist efforts should involve the local populations,” in order to prevent the radicalization of young people.
“The respect of the right to assemble and of freedom of expression is vital to defeat violent extremism, because the freedom to direct expressions of protest and grief through democratic processes can do much to calm impulses to violence,” continued Archbishop Auza.
“The Holy See engages actively with the leaders of other religions and their faith communities to prevent incitements to all forms of radicalization and violence, encouraging and intensifying a sincere inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and cooperation,” he concluded.
