The Holy See’s Contribution to the Protection of the Right to Freedom of Conscience and the Religious Freedom in Conferences on Security and Cooperation in Europe and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE and OSCE)

Abstract

The article is the first part of a discussion of the issue of the part taken by the Holy See in the Conferences of Security and Cooperation in Europe. In the analyses the origin and the motives for participation of the Holy See in the international discussion on protecting human rights for the freedom of conscience and the religious freedom are presented. In the area of documents concerning human rights a special attention is paid to the significance of John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in terris. Also, the Holy See’s postulates and suggestions that deal with the question of the value and dignity of the human person are discussed. The final analyses include the issue of the personal dimension of the right to the freedom of conscience and the religious freedom.