Vatican to UN: "First Right of Children is that of Being Born"
LifeSiteNews ^ | 3/27/07 | John-Henry Westen
Posted on 03/27/2007 4:36:40 PM PDT by wagglebee
GENEVA, March 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "The first right of
children is that of being born and educated in a welcoming and secure
family environment where their physical, psychological and spiritual
growth is guaranteed, their potential is developed and where the
awareness of personal dignity becomes the base for relating to others
and for confronting the future." The statement was made during a March
23 address by Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi C.S., Holy See (Vatican)
permanent observer to the United Nations at Geneva, who spoke during
the 4th session of the Human Rights Council.
Archbishop Tomasi recalled that "the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child attributes to the child the fundamental rights of
a person; it recognizes the child to have the same equality and
dignity as any adult person."
"In many cases," he went on, "due to lack of will and of resources,
good legal provisions and public policies are not implemented, with
grave consequences for children. They often become the first victims
of famines and wars."
"To many children the right to life is denied; prenatal selection
eliminates both babies suspected of having disabilities and female
children simply because of their sex, and thus denies the equal and
intrinsic value of disabled persons and of girls for their families
and for society."
State and society, said the permanent observer, must "concretely
support and enable the family to carry out its task. ... The Catholic
Church's over 300,000 social, caring and educational institutions work
daily to ensure both a peace-oriented and creative education for
children, and the development of their talents, and to provide the
reintegration of abused and neglected children into their families, if
possible, and into society."
"Children are both weakness and hope. To pursue the defence of their
rights and the elimination of all forms of violence against them
remains an institutional challenge for the international community.
Success will be reached if priority is given to the natural role of
the family and to the public culture that recognizes that children too
are full human persons."
(with files from Vatican Information Service)
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