A new study partnership initiative between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican has begun this week. Immediately upon its commencement an affirmation was made that the freedom of religion was a “non-negotiable” human right that should be valid for every single member of society across the world.

|PIC1|"Freedom of religion is a fundamental, inviolable and non-negotiable right of every human being in every country in the world," states the report of the 12-16 May meeting in Lariano/Velletri, near Rome, that launched the cooperative study.

It was also emphasised that the “obsession of converting others” needed to be cured in the religious world.

The report said, “Freedom of religion connotes the freedom, without any obstruction, to practise one's own faith, freedom to propagate the teachings of one's faith to people of one's own and other faiths, and also the freedom to embrace another faith out of one's own free choice.”

However, this right entailed the “equally non-negotiable responsibility to respect faiths other than our own, and never to denigrate, vilify or misrepresent them for the purpose of affirming superiority of our faith.”

Also, the “right to invite others to an understanding" of one's own faith "should not be exercised by violating other's rights and religious sensibilities".

|AD|Also contained in the report was the bold recommendation that, “All should heal themselves from the obsession of converting others". Acknowledging that "errors have been perpetrated and injustice committed by the adherents of every faith," it suggests that "it is incumbent on every community to conduct honest self-critical examination" of its historical record as well as its doctrines.

As a result of “self-criticism and repentance," some reforms should take place in order to ensure a healthier approach to the issue of conversion.

Among the various suggestions made included: Discouraging and rejecting "unethical means", avoiding taking advantage of "vulnerable" people like children and disabled persons, and doing humanitarian work "without any ulterior motives".

The report, which was issued by 27 participants from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Yoruba religious backgrounds, recognised that "many differences and disagreements" remained among them, but nonetheless a "convergent understanding of the several aspects of the issue of religious conversion" developed.

The participants also warmly greeted the useful and vitally needed idea of a collectively developed "code of conduct" on conversion, and it was suggested that "inter-religious dialogues on the issue of conversion should continue at various levels".