Magyar Egyház, 1989 (63. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1989-03-01 / 2. szám
10. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ AGREEMENT ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS REACHED AT VIENNA CONFERENCE Keston News Service reported the Vienna document in its February 2, 1989 issue. In Magyar Egyház we print the Keaton report: After 26 months of negotiation in Vienna, the 35 nations of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe have reached agreement on a follow-up document to the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. The 35 countries include Western European nations, all the nations of Eastern Europe (with the exception of Albania), as well as the United States and Canada. Among the commitments made by the signatory governments are guarantees of human rights. The 1975 Helsinki Final Act included only one paragraph on religion, recognising the ‘freedom of the individual to profess and practise, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience’. The Vienna document is far more specific: 16. In order to ensure the freedom of the individual to profess and practise religion or belief, the participating States will, inter alia, 16.1 — take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination against individuals or communities on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, political, economic, social and cultural life, and to ensure the effective equality between believers and non-believers; 16.2 — foster a climate of mutual tolerance and respect between believers of different communities as well as between believers and non-believers; 16.3 — grant upon their request to communities of believers, practising or prepared to practise their faith within the constitutional framework of the States, recognition of the status provided for them in heir respective countries; 16.4 — respect the right of these religious communities to — establish and maintain freely accesible places of worship or assembly, — organise themselves according to their own hierarchical and institutional structure, — select, appoint and replace their personnel in accordance with their respective requirements and standards as well as with any freely accepted arrangement between them and their State, — solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions; 16.5 — engage in consultations with religious faiths, institutions and organizations in order to achieve a better understanding of the requirements of religious freedom; 16.6 — respect the right of everyone to give and receive religious education in the language of his choice, whether individually or in association with others; 16.7 — in this context respect, inter alia, the liberty of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions; 16.8 — allow the training of religious personnel in appropriate institutions; 16.9 — respect the right of individual believers and communities of believers to acquire, possess, and use sacred books, religious publications in the language of their choice and other articles and materials related to the practice of religion or belief; 16.10 — allow religious faiths, institutions and organizations to produce, import and disseminate religious publications and materials; 16.11 — favourably consider the interest of religious communities to participate in public dialogue, including through the mass media. 17. The participating States recognize that the exercise of the above-mentioned rights relating to the freedom of religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are provided by law and consistent with their obligations under international law and with their international law and with their international commitments. They will ensure in their laws and regulations and in their application the full and effective exercise of the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. [...] 19. They will protect and create conditions for the promotion of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of national minorities on their territory. They will respect the free exercise of rights by persons belonging to such minorities and ensure their full equality with others. •P Participating states will have the right to challenge other states if they consider that violations of rights specified in the document have taken place. Progress on human rights will be reviewed at a conference scheduled to take place in Moscow in September 1991. •P During the negotiations, the GDR and Czechoslovakia tried to water down the religion clauses. Hungary strongly supported Canada in pressing for clauses on the rights of ethnic minorities. Bulgaria tried to block specific definition of the rights of minorities. •P Before the conference had even finished, Romania’s President, Nicolae Ceausescu declared that Romania would not sign a document ‘which wants to take mankind back in some domains to the situation of 500 years ago, to the age of the Inquisition. Speaking to foreign diplomats in Bucharest on 30 December, he outlined his views on the ‘diversity of social system’ and the need for each nation to maintain its own style of living. ‘In no way do we want to open the path for various religious sects, agencies, which are well known and criticised even in the countries which propose such a way,’ he said. Although Romania agreed to the final document, it has declared that it will ignore its provisions. TAIZÉ TO HOLD INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MEETING IN HUNGARY The Taizé community is planning to hold its first international youth meeting April 28-30, 1989 in Pécs, Hungary. Taizé has held national youth meetings already in Eastern Europe, in Poland and the German Democratic Republic. Taizé is a community of Protestant monks. They are devoted to work for reconciliation of Christians of different confessions. The community was established in 1944 at Taizé near the former monastery of Cluny in Burgundy, France. The members take the traditional monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. Among the community’s widely known members are Roger Schütz and Max Thurian.
