VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 107   
   DATE 09-06-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at the Council of Europe: the religious   
   dimension of intercultural dialogue   
   - Cardinal Rauber to take possession of his diaconate   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
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    Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at the Council of Europe: the religious   
   dimension of intercultural dialogue   
    Vatican City, 9 June 2015 (VIS) - Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary   
   for Relations with States, spoke at the seminar "Building inclusive societies   
   together: contributions to Sarajevo's exchange on the religious dimension of   
   intercultural dialogue" on 8 June at the Council of Europe, in preparation for   
   the 2015 Meeting on this issue to be held in the capital of Bosnia and   
   Herzegovina from 8 to 9 September.   
    The archbishop structured his discussion according to four main theses: in the   
   context of growing multipolarity, religions are an essential subject/actor in   
   the area of intercultural dialogue; religions are called to offer a specific   
   contribution to the advancement of a culture of human rights; religious freedom   
   is a key element in the development of a democratic society; and the promotion   
   and protection of the right to religious freedom is a basic task of states and   
   international organisations.   
    "Open and respectful encounters between religious traditions and between these   
   and the social and political world are fundamental for social cohesion", he   
   said. "The religious dimension continues to be a living reference point for   
   millions of people in Europe, affecting their choices and, to a greater or   
   lesser degree, their identity. It is a dimension which is in continuous   
   transformation, due to new religious forms of life and profound changes   
   experienced within religious communities that have long been present in Europe.   
   ... For intercultural dialogue to bear fruit, it must face not only the   
   religious dimension in general, but also interact with particular religious   
   confessions with all their historic characteristics".   
    "Without the particular contribution given by religious perspectives on the   
   human person, ... the entire culture of human rights, even those of   
   non-believers,   
   would be greatly impoverished. I cannot claim to speak in the name of other   
   religious cultures; but I believe that the specific contribution of the   
   Catholic   
   Church to a common culture of human rights may be seen in concrete ways and I   
   will limit myself to offering a few examples, which are by no means exhaustive.   
   First of all, there is the awareness of a radical equality and fraternity   
   between every human person created in the image and likeness of God. Secondly,   
   the recognition of the worth of the least among us, of the poor and the   
   marginalised, of the dignity of every human life no matter how weak or   
   precarious, from conception through natural death. Thirdly, the capacity to   
   transmit a religious identity which is both firm and respectful of others, open   
   to dialogue with other religions and world views. As can easily be seen, these   
   are universal values, and while they are not exclusive to the Catholic Faith,   
   the latter has offered and continues to offer a unique contribution. Every   
   religious tradition can and must make its own particular contribution, even   
   when   
   it becomes important to find a way to relate honestly to one another, embracing   
   the good that exists in all traditions and also inviting sincere discussion on   
   the perceived limitations of every tradition of thought, be it religious or   
   not".   
    "In today's context of multicultural societies, respect for religious freedom   
   is one of the fundamental factors by which the health of a given democracy can   
   be evaluated as being truly a home for everyone. Promoting religious freedom   
   appears particularly important in averting and countering the phenomena of   
   extremist violence and radicalisation, against which governments and   
   international organisations are currently engaged, among them the Council of   
   Europe".   
      
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    Cardinal Rauber to take possession of his diaconate   
    Vatican City, 9 June 2015 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the   
   Supreme Pontiff today announced that on Saturday 13 June at 11 a.m., Cardinal   
   Karl-Josef Rauber will take possession of the diaconate of Sant'Antonio di   
   Padova a Circonvallazione Appia, (Circonvallazione Appia, 150).   
      
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    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 9 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Fr.   
   Aliaksandr Yasheuski, S.D.B., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev   
   (area 69,800, population 4,253,000, Catholics 610,000, priests 124, religious   
   147), Belarus. The bishop-elect was born in 1974 in Smarhon, Belarus, gave his   
   perpetual vows in 1998, and was ordained a priest in 2000. He holds a   
   licentiate   
   in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome, and has   
   served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Grodno, Belarus,   
   including parish administrator, and within his community as director of the   
   Salesian novitiate in Oktiabrsk in the province of Moscow, Russian Federation.   
   In Minsk he has served as parish vicar, director of the office for education   
   and   
   religious teaching, director of the Salesian community, and teacher of dogmatic   
   theology at the centre for the preparation of catechists. He is currently   
   parish   
   vicar in Smarhon, director of the local Salesian community, and vicar and   
   bursar   
   of the Belarusian delegation of the Salesian society.   
      
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