As people of faith, we join with others in celebrating this anniversary and in reflecting on its implications. First of all, we must recognize that human rights violations have not ended worldwide since the adoption of the Declaration in 1948. This common bond of humanity creates a mutual responsibility for each other and for the whole of creation.
Human rights constitute our response to the demands of justice and the fulfillment of human needs.
There are also the mutual responsibility of the international community. The Universal Declaration was adopted in 1948 following World War II and the full realization of the Holocaust and the monstrous crimes against humanity that were perpetuated by the Nazi regime. These events greatly influenced the United Nations in recognizing the principle of the universality of fundamental rights and freedoms. It represented a moral consensus on the rights to which all human beings on this planet were entitled and on the obligations of governments to ensure that these rights would be respected. As a Christian community, both institutionally and individually, we are called to recognize that our silences, our inaction and even our actions have aggravated human rights violations and have contributed to the oppression of peoples and individuals.