HOLY SEE
Intervention of the Head of the Holy See Delegation
His Eminence Odilo Pedro Cardinal Scherer
Special Envoy of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
Rio de Janeiro, 22 June 2012
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Madame President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My delegation warmly thanks the Government of Brazil for hosting
this important Conference on sustainable development, expresses gratitude
to the people of Brazil for their warm hospitality, and is pleased to
participate in this timely gathering of representatives of the international
community meeting at this significant juncture in human history.
Now is the opportune time to address the many threats to the human
family and its earthly home posed by the persisting injustice of hunger,
poverty and underdevelopment which continue to plague our societies. It is
the firm hope of the Holy See that this opportunity may provide the
occasion at last to set aside the hermeneutic of suspicion underpinning
partisan self-interest and protectionism in favour of a true solidarity
between us, especially with the poor. This is the time to commit ourselves
to a more just distribution of the abundant goods of this world and to the
pursuit of a more integral development which corresponds to the dignity of
every human being.
For the Holy See, this requires above all maintaining the proper
relation of the means to its end. Standing at the centre of the created world
is the human person – and, therefore, also at the centre of sustainable
development, as affirmed by the First Rio Principle. Each individual
human life, from conception until natural death, is of equal value and
dignity.
Any new model of development, such as the "green economy," must
be anchored in and permeated by those principles which are the basis for
the effective promotion of human dignity, namely: responsibility, even
when changes must be made to patterns of production and consumption;
promoting and sharing in the common good; access to primary goods
including such essential and fundamental goods as nutrition, health,
education, security and peace; solidarity of a universal scope, capable of
recognising the unity of the human family; protection of creation linked to
inter-generational equity; the universal destination of goods and the fruits
of human enterprise; and the accompanying principle of subsidiarity,
which permits public authorities at all levels to operate in an efficacious
manner for the uplifting of each and every person and community. This is
all the more marked in international relations where application of these
principles between and within states favours an appropriate transfer of
technology, the promotion of a global commercial system that is inclusive
and fair, as well as respect for obligations in aid-for-development and the
determination of new and innovative financial instruments which place
human dignity, the common good, and the safeguarding of the
environment at the centre of economic activity. The unique and
fundamental role of the family – which the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights declares the fundamental group-unit of society – deserves
special mention here because education and development begins in the
family, where all these principles are transmitted to and assimilated by
future generations so that their members assume their proper responsibility
in society.
The right to water, the right to food, the right to health and the right
to education are intrinsically linked to the right to life and to the right to
development. Therefore, we must be bold in affirming them, and equally
resolved to safeguard the evident reality that these rights are at the service
of the human person. The risk of obscuring this correct relationship seems
particularly to be the case in the right to health, where the promotion of a
conception of health can be observed that profoundly menaces the dignity
of the human person. Imposing death upon the most vulnerable human
lives – namely, those in the safest sanctuary of their mothers’ wombs –
cannot conceivably be brought under the nomenclature of health-care or
simply health. This performs no true service to authentic human
development or its true appreciation; indeed it constitutes the greatest
violation of human dignity and unjustifiable disservice because
development, at all stages of life, is at the service of human life.
Madame President,
The ongoing economic and financial crisis has risked undermining
the great progress made in recent decades in technological and scientific
development. Engaging such problems honestly and courageously will
challenge the international community to a renewed and deepened
reflection on the meaning of the economy and its purposes, as well as a
renewal of models of development which will not allow the ‘why’ of
development to be overwhelmed by the urgent ‘how’ of technological
solutions. This examination must include not merely the economic or
ecological state of health of the planet, but must also require taking stock
of the moral and cultural crisis, the symptoms of which are now evident in
all parts of the world. This is undoubtedly a complex challenge to
confront, but the Holy See stresses the importance of moving from a
merely technological model of development to an integrally human model
which takes as its point of departure the dignity and worth of each and
every person. Each individual member of society is called to adopt a
vocational attitude which freely assumes responsibility, in genuine
solidarity with one another and all of creation.
Madame President,
In conclusion, Madame President, it is people who are charged with
stewardship over nature; but as with everything human, this stewardship
necessarily possesses an ethical dimension. In the discharge of this right
and duty, a just solidarity with our fellow human beings is always implicit,
including those yet to be born. This requires of us a duty towards future
generations who will inherit the consequences of our decisions. In this
regard, this Conference provides an opportunity for governments to come
together to help chart a course for advancing development for all people
especially those who are most in need.
Once again, Madame President, we express our gratitude for the
leadership of Brazil in hosting this Conference, and sincerely hope that this
will help promote the future that together we all need.
Thank you.
