VATICAN CITY, JUNE 30, 2003 (Zenit.org).- A new book compiles 30 years of speeches delivered by Vatican representatives to international organizations.
“Words that Matter,” present today by the Vatican press office, is edited by Archbishop André Dupuy, apostolic nuncio in Venezuela. It is a collection of addresses delivered by Vatican representatives before international organizations and during international conferences and meetings over the period 1970-2000.
“I hope that scholars, diplomats and leaders of society will be inspired by this rich ‘corpus’ in seeking reasonable, peaceful, equitable and impartial solutions, capable of promoting the solution of conflicts and of excluding force from international life,” the Vatican secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, said during the presentation of the book.
He expressed the hope that the volume might clarify “the fundamental reason for the presence of the Holy See in the community of nations: to be the voice that human conscience expects.”
In its close to 800 pages, “Words that Matter” addresses topics that range from the “right to religious liberty, to social development, the right to peace, the right to life, the rights of women, children and refugees,” explained Archbishop Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Referring to the title of the book, Archbishop Martino said that it does not reflect vainglory “but only the humble awareness of always being at the service of man, illuminating the historical circumstances with supernatural light, in keeping with the specific religious and moral competence proper to all ecclesial activity.”
For his part, the editor of the handbook, Archbishop Dupuy, said that it is “an instrument of work for experts in international law, a consultation text for diplomats and for those who wish to know better the position of the Holy See on determined international issues.”
The book includes a total of 1,310 documents. “The addresses delivered by the Holy Father, in the context of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, will be compiled in another publication,” Archbishop Dupuy said.
The CD that accompanies the publication includes the complete text of the majority of addresses quoted in the sources, given that for some of them, only a résumé exists.
