Vatican advocates for
responsible freedom of expression
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| A computer |
The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) advocates for freedom of
expression for the media, especially in regards to religion.
By Vatican News
The Vatican’s delegation to the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is calling for freedom and protection of the
media, to advance “truth, freedom, justice and solidarity in society.”
The call came in a statement during the Second Supplementary
Human Dimension Meeting on Freedom of Expression, Media and Information of the
OSCE organized on Monday in Vienna. The session was titled “Freedom of
Expression and its Relation to Other Fundamental Freedom.”
Stressing that “freedom of expression, as every human right,
comes with responsibilities that cannot be ignored”, the Vatican delegation
said the media should be encouraged to provide a platform for a wide range of
views “both politically, but also faith-based.”
The role of the Media
The statement pointed out that the media have the
responsibility of giving “a fair and accurate account of religious matters”
ensuring that members of religious communities “are allowed to express their
own views.”
Citing a document from the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications, it further stressed that “communication should be by persons to
persons for the integral development of persons,” because “the media do nothing
by themselves; they are instruments, tools, used as people choose to use them.”
To this end, the Holy See highlighted that the media should
have the fundamental ethical basis of ensuring that “the human person and the
human community are the end and measure of the use of the media of social
communication.”
Freedom of expression and freedom of religion
Aiming at improving the media’s ethical standards, the
statement touched on the relationship between freedom of expression and freedom
of religion. It pointed out that “freedom of religion or belief does not
preclude from critical debate or serious discussion about religion.”
The Vatican delegation noted that it is “not acceptable to
hide behind Freedom of Expression as a justification for
discrimination, hostility or violence against a religion or its members.”
In this regard, “freedom of expression must allow a space to
develop where both sides are able to express their views with respect and
without fear from the other, even when this goes counter current.”
Appeals
Addressing participating States, the Holy See delegation
urged them to encourage representatives of religious communities to give their
views “based on moral convictions deriving from their faith.” This will “allow
an alternative voice from the political mainstream to be heard and prevent deeply
held moral views from being disregarded or denigrated in the public discourse.”
The statement further appealed that special attention should
be paid to the use of the internet, especially to social networks, as it could
be used in the promotion of irreverent treatment of religious symbols or
provocative material. It called on internet service-providers and social
networking services to adopt “clear, transparent, and non-discriminatory
standards that prevent intolerant and inflammatory behavior."
The Vatican delegation called on the Representative on the
Freedom of the Media and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR) to develop specific guidelines for voluntary professional
standards on promoting religious tolerance and non-discrimination in the media.
Covid-19
In light of the current Covid-19 crisis, the statement
highlighted that inequalities in access to information place people in
vulnerable situations at great risks of suffering.
“The digital gap between the rich and poor could cost lives,
especially when crucial information on Covid-19 is not timely, if received at
all, in low-income communities,” the delegation noted.
Reiterating Pope Francis’s words during an interview in
April, the Holy See stressed that “this is the time to see the poor.” The
statement concluded by adding that we need to reconsider how social rights and
economic development are essential to avoid that “the existence of poverty
inhibits the full and effective enjoyment of access to information.”
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