NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- In a message to the United Nations, on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Pope John Paul II today called the date "an appeal for an examination of conscience by each of the states which voluntarily signed the text if 1948."

      The Pope's message was delivered to the President of the UN's Assembly General, Didier Opertti Badan. In it the Pontiff called attention to the fact that human rights are still "the object of grave and continual violations." Too many governments, he said, honor human rights only when it fits their convenience.

      The Holy Father argued that the Universal Declaration reflects a basic agreement, framed in explicit moral terms and founded on a common understanding of man. The text, he said, finds its roots in "diverse national, cultural, and religious traditions."

      In closing, the Pope called for greater solidarity among the world's nations, and a greater understanding that the full recognition of human rights requires an attitude of compassion toward the poor, the weak, and those who are suffering.