Pope Francis stresses vital role of religious freedom

09/27/2015. Speaking in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, Pope Francis told representatives of the country’s immigrant community that religious freedom is “an essential part of the American spirit”. He stressed the importance of remembering the events of history, in order not to repeat errors of the past.

Standing in front of Independence Hall, where the nation’s constitution and Declaration of Independence were signed by the founding fathers, the Pope spoke of “the great struggles which led to the abolition of slavery, the extension of voting rights, the growth of the labor movement, and the gradual effort to eliminate every kind of racism and prejudice directed at successive waves of new Americans”.

Pope Francis recalled that the Quakers who founded Philadelphia were inspired by a profound evangelical sense of the dignity of each individual and the ideal of a community united by brotherly love. In today’s society too, the Pope stressed that religious freedom is a fundamental right “which shapes the way we interact socially and personally with our neighbors whose religious views differ from our own”.

Read the article and the full English translation of the Pope’s words at the Meeting for Religious Liberty on Radio Vaticana website