Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State
for the Vatican, led the Holy See delegation to the first World Humanitarian Summit,
an initiative of the United Nations, and presented the Holy See’s statement “Uphold the norms that safeguard humanity”
which stated the core belief shared by many
countries that “there is no right to abortion.”
The Summit, held in Istanbul, was attended by
9000 participants from 173 Member States, including 55 Heads
of State and Government, private sector representatives, and thousands from
non-governmental organizations. The purpose was to discuss the unprecedented
levels of suffering and humanitarian need in the world today resulting from a
myriad of causes, including conflict, and how to provide for their needs with
essential while working for conflict resolution and sustainable development.
The
Holy See’s statement began with a critical reminder of the true nature of
humanitarian aid: “Humanitarian
assistance may never be used as a means of blackmail or an instrument of
political, economic or ideological pressure, leaving human lives to hang in the
balance hovering between life and death, due to deprivation of food, shelter,
clothing and basic medical care.”
It condemned all acts
of violence and made special reference to violence against women, girls and
unborn children stating, “Along these
lines, the Holy See also condemns all acts of violence against women and girls,
especially systematic rape used as a tactic of war or terror. The Holy See
promotes the prevention and deterrence of crimes, the prosecution of criminals
and access to victim assistance, which does not involve further violence to the
traumatized victim and innocent unborn child.”
The Holy See’s statement included a strong rebuttal to pro-abortion countries
and activists who claim that access to abortion is an international right, “In this regard, the Holy See emphasizes
that there is no right to abortion under international human rights law or
international humanitarian law”.
The Summit was used by other entities in
attempts to advance access to abortion in humanitarian settings including the
European Parliament which passed a resolution
this past December that expressed support for abortion as a component of “the full range of sexual and reproductive
health services”. The resolution stated that there should be a global
commitment to ensure “that women and girls have access to the full range of sexual and
reproductive health services, including safe abortions, in humanitarian crises,
rather than perpetuating what amounts to inhumane treatment, as required by
international humanitarian law and as foreseen in the Geneva Conventions and
their Additional Protocols”.
The
Chair’s
Summary Standing Up for Humanity: Committing to Action released at the conclusion of the Summit includes the
following statement: “Plans to end
tolerance of gender-based violence against women and girls were launched, and
commitments were made to ensure the right to sexual and reproductive health
care is fulfilled for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.”
In contrast to calls for access to
abortion—which perpetuate the violence of rape by inflicting death upon the innocent
child— Cardinal Parolin shared the Catholic Church’s concern for all of
humanity, and affirmed the critical work of Catholic inspired organizations
that offer authentic assistance to those women, girls and children whose lives
are impacted by rape in crises situation,
“The Holy See continues to
encourage religious institutions and Catholic organizations to accompany
victims of rape in crises situations, who, in turn, need effective and ongoing
psychological, spiritual and material assistance for themselves as well as
their children, conceived and born of rape.”
Speaking at the Roundtable entitled “Uphold the norms that
safeguard humanity”, Cardinal Parolin also voiced the Holy See’s condemnation
of violence based on religion stating, “Neither can we remain silent in the face of unspeakable
crimes on account of one’s religion. Convinced of the need for effective
juridical means for the practical application of international law to protect
all, including Christians and other religious minorities, the Holy See supports
all timely and decisive actions to prevent and end acts of genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes.”
The statement ended with a
call that should especially resonate with those serving in national
legislatures, “Each
one of us has the responsibility to defend the norms that save lives and
protect humanity from suffering and barbary, and the duty to translate the
norms into concrete social, political and legal actions.”