Only when the dignity of the person is upheld and guaranteed can there be a solid basis for peace and genuine development that embraces everyone. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Fiftieth Anniversary of which we celebrated last year, was arrived at as a result of the sad experience and terrible sufferings of the Second World War. It was motivated by a strong desire to ensure that every human person was recognized as the subject of the same universal and indivisible rights. From these basic rights flow the various civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights which are essential to the well-being of individuals and societies. The significance which religious and cultural traditions have in the lives of people is a clear indication of how mistaken it is to think that human development can be reduced to the purely economic.
Development has deep human, social and political aspects.
It therefore necessarily possesses a moral dimension, made up of rights and duties. As a result, it is wrong to attach to financial and technological assistance conditions which operate against the ethical and religious traditions and convictions of a people. Development programmes, both within individual countries and at the international level, must be planned and carried out within a framework of solidarity and freedom which is respectful of the truth of the human person. Violation of this right is a source of immense suffering for believers, and it is therefore essential that, when a State grants special status to one religion, this must not be to the detriment of the others. At a time when various parts of the world are torn by conflict in the name of religious belief, efforts are necessary to ensure that a spirit of mutual tolerance and respect prevails.