> Call to moral and religious leaders

 

 

86  Our belief is that in order "to fully develop and be happy, whatever their circumstances, children also need to be able to reflect on the meaning of their lives, and have their spiritual potential respected [94]".

Article 14 of the Convention implicitly recognizes this dimension, and calls for the respect of the rights of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as the rights and duties of parents or legal guardians, to provide direction to the child in the exercise of these rights [95].

Therefore, we call upon moral and religious leaders to:

 

 

 

 

The most widespread religions and secular institutions have education, health, social aid institutions dedicated to children and their families. The obligation to respect the rights of the child refers to these institutions as much as to families. Respecting the child's conscience, his/her body, protecting him/her against any form of violence and more generally respecting all his/her rights, have to be included into these institutions' codes of good conduct and be constantly taken into consideration by the authorities in charge of their implementation.

 

 

 

 

If not conducted for religious purposes, several wars invoke the question of religious identity. Religion is often manipulated by groups preaching racism, xenophobia, intolerance and hatred against certain religious identities. Young people are particularly vulnerable to such an environment, especially when access to education is weak.

Therefore, intercultural dialogue is essential to prevent ethnic, religious, and linguistic divisions, to recognize our differences and, at the same time, our equal dignity, and to build a society inspired by solidarity.

We think that interreligious dialogue and the dialogue with the representatives of different philosophical and moral traditions help us to understand each other.  Concerned authorities are then responsible to be strongly involved in and to associate children and young people.

 

 

 

Churches and religions should make this their full-fledged objective. Human rights are part of their message of universal fraternity, of solidarity with other human beings, a word of love of religions. However, the link with human rights is too often implicit as if it was obvious; on the contrary, the need of justice and human rights must be made explicit as a minimal condition for humanity to have a religious or spiritual experience to which the most followed religions and traditions call.

For many religions, fraternal love is a God's commandment; it implies the mutual respect of each one's dignity.

 

 

 

Because the religious or the moral secular act is not only a private matter but has also a social dimension, and because the most followed religions, as well as the biggest secular institutions, often have a rich experience in education and youth, moral and religious leaders must actively participate in debates on childhood.

They should try to respond together with every person of good will, believers and non-believers, to new child-related issues and participate actively to this new mobilization for the rights and the dignity of each child.

Undoubtedly, in particular, the most followed religions should open up to a wider perspective, that results from the astonishment and the amazement of the child, who always surprises us.

This openness places the haunting questions that we have asked at the beginning -questions that we always have to think about and try to solve- in a wider perspective that can help us not to despair and open ourselves to the "realism of hope" [98].

 

 

[94] Excerpts from the Charter of the International Catholic Child Bureau, Bice, 2007

[95] Article 14: "1 States Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. 2. States Parties shall respect the rights and duties of the parents and, when applicable, legal guardians, to provide direction to the child in the exercise of his or her right in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child."

[96] The Council of Europe has suggested a series of recommendations and guiding principles for the organisation and the practice of the intercultural and interreligious dialogue that can also inspire their implementation in other regions of the world: "White Paper on the intercultural dialogue of the Council of Europe : Living Together in Equal Dignity", 118^th Session of the Ministerial Committee, Strasbourg, 7 May 2008, http://www.coe.int/t/cm/

[97] Intervention of Gabriel Nissim o.p., President of the INGO Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe, "Human Rights Education, an incontrovertible necessity to face current challenges", Round Table, 11 March 2008, Palais des Nations.

[98] Expression that we owe to Stefan Vanistendael, in charge of Bice Research and Development department, Bice Booklet "Growth in the Muddle of Life - Resilience: Building on People's strengths" Bice, 3^rd edition, 1998.