Ján Figeľ speaking about the roots of freedom and peace.
Tag: EU
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On Freedom of Conscience – Vilnius Academic Conference, 4/2023
Ján Figeľ, the former Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Outside the EU, speaking on the topic of freedom of conscience.
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Complaint to European court over ban on church services amid pandemic
Photo TASR, Martin Baumann
Former EU religious freedom envoy Jan Figel has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) over the ban on church services during the corona pandemic.
This was announced by ADF International, an organisation that advocates for religious freedom, on Wednesday. The agency supports Figel in the case.
The ban on holding worship services is a “disproportionate infringement of the right to religious freedom”, Figel argues in his lawsuit aimed at the government in Slovakia. ADF International argues that this is the first time corona restrictions on churches have been reviewed by the ECHR.
In February 2021, the Slovak government ruled that cultural events, sports events and religious services could not be held. Exceptions were made for baptismal services and weddings, with a maximum of six people.
This ban on church services was not in line with the Slovak constitution and fundamental rights, Figel claims. “Religious freedom as a fundamental human right should be given the highest form of protection. Everyone has the right to live according to their beliefs. Banning people from doing so is very illiberal and undemocratic.” Figel argues that elsewhere in Europe, there was more room to hold church services.
Rulings by national judges in countries like Germany and France have shown that banning the holding of worship services is a violation of religious freedom, Figel argues.
Figel also believes that the EU cannot credibly promote religious freedom elsewhere in the world if EU member states themselves “do not respect fundamental freedoms at home”.
Figel is joined by ADF International. “Fundamental freedoms apply to everyone, and especially in times of crisis, they must be protected rather than weakened,” argues Dr Adina Portaru, senior adviser at the organisation. According to her, this certainly applies to church services as well. “It is unfair to pit religious freedom against security when both can work harmoniously.
Communal worship services are, for many people, an essential part of staying the course in times of crisis. And this can be done safely and carefully, in accordance with necessary and well-considered restrictions,” said Portaru.
Figel receives support from churches and various organisations in Slovakia. Roman Catholic Figel was a special envoy for religious freedom for the European Union from 2016 to 2019.
https://cne.news/article/2884-complaint-to-european-court-over-ban-on-church-services-amid-pandemic
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Rights advocate Figel’ says ‘human dignity’ at root of freedoms
Says he is ‘determined,’ not optimistic or pessimistic in campaign
Ján Figeľ lives between two epochs: the first, in which communist forces in what was then Czechoslovakia killed the uncle for whom he is named, and the second, in which Mr. Figel’ carried on the struggle for religious freedom as a European Union envoy.
That uncle “disappeared in the time of Stalin,” the Slovakian human rights campaigner said in an interview with The Washington Times. “It was the elimination of opponents. Stalin used to say, ‘If there is a man, there is a problem. If there is no man, there is no problem.’”
He added, “My uncle, a university student, was eliminated because he had different opinions than the ideological totalitarian regime.”
To this day, the family does not know where that Ján Figel’ is buried, his namesake said.
A former Christian Democratic Movement member of Slovakia’s parliament and a state secretary in the country’s ministry of foreign affairs, Mr. Figel’ led the country’s accession negotiations with the European Union until 2003. He later served as Slovakia’s deputy prime minister and minister for transport, construction and regional development.
His subsequent work as a European Union representative for religious freedom brought him to Washington last week as a speaker at the 2023 International Religious Freedom Summit.
At the summit, Mr. Figel’ said human dignity is foundational to human rights.
“Aggressors, namely even [Russian Federation President Vladimir] Putin, do not speak about dignity, which is a pity, because this deeper reflection would prevent [them] from some barbaric decisions,” he said.
Mr. Figel’ lamented a world in which the lessons of the Second World War and the promise of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights — which turns 75 in December — are largely forgotten.
“We hoped to have a century without wars, but evidently, repetition is part of our journey,” he said.
He said the “moral awakening” that followed the horrors of the Second World War, including the systematic murder of six million Jews and countless others by the Nazis, sparked the UDHR and anti-genocide conventions. Yet genocide continues, in part because “there is not much attention to deeper roots of our values, to reflecting ethical or moral rules, which are important for business, for coexistence, for living together in diversity.”
Mr. Figel’ said “peace in society, basically, is the fruit of justice. And when justice is neglected, and missing or oppressed, then we all have a problem.”
He said change is possible: “Actions of like-minded politicians who care about freedom of religion or belief, and dignity for all, can turn the tide. The 21st century I believe can be more humane if we care more about dignity for all.”
Mr. Figel’ said his belief in human dignity as a cornerstone of freedom led him to help create the 2018 Punta Del Este Declaration supporting “human dignity for everyone, everywhere,” and marking the UDHR’s 70th anniversary.
He also spoke at the IRF Summit about a “Declaration in Support of Fundamental Human Rights and Human Dignity” that was signed by event co-chairs Ambassador Sam Brownback, former envoy for the State Department’s office of international religious freedom, and Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett as well as many of the guests at the event.
“The more we have like-minded people, personalities, authorities, organizations, the more chance there is for the culture of human dignity to prevail,” Mr. Figel’ said.
He said he is neither optimistic nor pessimistic in his work.
“I stay determined,” Mr. Figel’ said. “I think that for free people, for mature citizens, a strong will means the best answer. So [it is] not so much about feelings of optimism or pessimism, but commitment.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/6/rights-advocate-jan-fige-says-human-dignity-root-f
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FoRB is an Issue of Life and Death – Assassination of Former PM Abe in Japan
Presentation of Jan Figel at the UNHRC Geneva on January 31, 2023. The Global Human Rights Institution starts its Universal Periodic Review of commitments and their implementation in Japan.
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Ján Figeľ’s Speech for the Rally of Hope organized by the Universal Peace Federation
Former European Commission’s Special Envoy for the 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 outside the EU, Hon. 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐥 shares about the importance of the Freedom of Religion for all at the last “Conference of Hope” under the theme “𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀”.
Rally of Hope, 2022
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Ján Figeľ’s Address at the 2nd Conference of Hope
2nd Conference of Hope – Overcoming Threats to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion December 17, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea
The whole event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DcvPB2vD0g&t=3883s&ab_channel=THINKTANK2022
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International Conference Urges Support for Religious Freedom and Human Rights
“Religious freedom is a hallmark of an open society” November 14, 2022 11:31 ET | Source: The Washington Times Foundation
International Conference Urges Support for Religious Freedom and Human Rights
“Religious freedom is a hallmark of an open society”
The greatest difference between open, free societies and authoritarian regimes is respect for human rights and religious freedom, speakers told the Conference of Hope for Universal Human Rights and Religious Freedom, sponsored by The Washington Times Foundation and Think Tank 2022.
The conference, held Nov. 12 in South Korea and livestreamed to millions of viewers globally, concluded with a call to action for people worldwide to sign a Declaration on the Universal Value of Religious Freedom. “We call upon all people throughout the world to stand firmly against all forms of intolerance, prejudice, slander, and hate toward believers of our world’s religions,” says the statement.
“When we speak of human rights, the most basic, fundamental right would be religious freedom,” said Dr. Yun Young Ho, Chairman of the Steering Committee for Think Tank 2022. This right is well-known, he said, noting that freedom of religion was included in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly.
At a time when many religious groups face persecution, intolerance, discrimination, and violence in many countries, this is “a critical moment in which we must unite, we face the truth, and we move forward courageously based on the principles expressed in the Declaration on the Universal Value of Religious Freedom,” said Conference of Hope co-host Thomas P. McDevitt, Chairman of The Washington Times and board member of The Washington Times Foundation.
Speakers pointed to persecution of religious groups including Muslim Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Ahmadis, Bahais, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Yazidis, Falun Gong, and, more recently, the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification, formerly the Unification Church, in Japan.
The Chinese Communist Party is “at war with all faiths,” said Ambassador Sam Brownback, former US senator who served as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (2018-2021).
In contrast, “religious freedom is a hallmark of an open society in a democracy” and democracies “must stand for religious freedom for everybody, everywhere, all the time,” he said.
“Why is evil so influential in today’s world? Because it has many allies. Three siblings are the most spread and efficient: Indifference, ignorance and fear (when we don´t care, when we do not know, or when we are scared to say or do something),” said Hon. Jan Figel, First Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion, European Union (2016-2019). “To overcome these siblings, we must invest more into active engagement, lifelong education, and civil courage. Then a century of hope may come, and a culture of human dignity may prevail over extreme violence, aggressive wars and a century of genocides.”
Several speakers addressed the persecution of the Family Federation in Japan that has intensified since the tragic and senseless assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Paris-based CAP Freedom of Conscience, a respected UN NGO, filed a formal complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva, saying that Japan’s “national tragedy” has been turned “into a bizarre narrative that makes the alleged assassin into a victim.”
“Religious liberty has been defined by the Holy See as the most violated human right in the 21st century,” said Mr. Massimo Introvigne, Founder and Managing Director, Center for Studies on New Religions in Italy. “The events in Japan prove that the use of the word ‘cult’ to discriminate against and persecute peaceful religious movements has now reached intolerable levels and should be stopped. Those who do not publicly reject and denounce the campaigns against ‘cults’ are not real friends of religious freedom.”
“After World War II, the Soviet Union was aggressively working to bring Japan into the Communist sphere of influence,” said Hon. Newt Gingrich, US House Speaker (1995-1999). Japanese leaders, including Mr. Abe’s grandfather Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, met with Rev. Sun Myung Moon during the Cold War, he said, and “a natural relationship formed between the victory-over-communism movement, Mr. Kishi and many members of the Diet, especially the Liberal Democratic Party.”
Today, “we are seeing that many in the [Japanese] media are trying to dissolve the movement in Japan without any legal due process,” Mr. Gingrich said.
“We are not surprised that so many current and former members of the Liberal Democratic Party and other parties in Japan understood that work with the Universal Peace Federation, co-founded by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, was so important and collaborated with it,” said Pastor Paula White-Cain, former advisor to US President Donald Trump and director of the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. She added, “it is good for Japan, good for the Republic of Korea and for America and good for peace in Northeast Asia and the world.”
Former BBC Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley, who spoke live from London, recalled how the Family Federation and other NGOs helped him lead a BBC crew into North Korea. “The work the church did in the 1990s helped bring about a peace deal that took the prospect of war off the table on the Korean Peninsula, and it has been doing similar work since,” he said.
Cardinal Kelvin Felix, Archbishop emeritus of Castries, Saint Lucia, recalled meeting Japanese volunteers with the Women’s Federation for World Peace in the island nation of Dominica. “For 26 years, they have been conducting art classes at our Teachers’ Training College and in many schools around the country,” while also holding programs to strengthen family unions,” he said.
The Family Federation has had 4,300 of its members in Japan kidnapped and held in forced confinement by highly paid professional “faith breakers” during the last 45 years, said Norishige Kondo, an attorney in Japan who has been serving as legal counsel to the Association of Victims of Kidnappings, Forced Confinement and Conversions. Kidnapped victims have also suffered sexual assault, violence, and threats, he said. In one case, a medical doctor—who had critically ill patients under his care—was held for more than a year by kidnappers. Another man, Toro Goto, was held for more than 12 years. “Mr. Goto was able to maintain his faith,” Mr. Kondo added, “but 70 to 80 percent of the victims of forced conversions and kidnappings lose their faith due to these inhuman and illegal detentions.”
“Religious freedom has long been called the first freedom, like the famed ‘canary in the mine,’ the violation of which warns us of impending danger elsewhere,” said Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow at Cato Institute, who specializes in foreign policy and civil liberty.
A group called Open Doors lists 50 of the top persecutors of Christians and other faiths, starting with Afghanistan’s Taliban and North Korea’s regime, said Mr. Bandow. “Governments which refuse to protect us as we seek God—or otherwise address the transcendent—are unlikely to protect us as we exercise our conscience in other ways,” he added, noting that eroding of religious freedom leads to denials of free speech, debate, and elections, and breeds terrible conflicts, including terrorism and genocide.
Prof. W. Cole Durham Jr., who directs the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, recalled how leaders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) endured decades of persecution, brutal rejection, and bloodshed. Today, the LDS Church is a major denomination, and its members are widely accepted. “Standing up under persecution builds a kind of strength, which is its own reward,” he said. Moreover, surviving persecution leads to “an intensified appreciation of the practical importance of the freedom of religion” and “empathy for the suffering of others,” he said.
The Washington Times Foundation, founded in 1984 in Washington, D.C., hosts numerous programs, including its monthly webcast “The Washington Brief,” to gather expert commentary on issues relating to peace and security in the world. Think Tank 2022, a project of the Universal Peace Federation, regularly mobilizes its worldwide network to promote dialogue, reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The Washington Times Foundation and Think Tank 2022 plan to continue sponsoring the Conference of Hope programs to promote peace and security globally—and especially on the Korean Peninsula and the Pacific Rim.
Related links:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/11/prime-minister-abes-assassination-and-japanese-com
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/12/conference-promotes-religious-freedom-as-human-rig
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Open letter to Von Der Leyen: Where is the EU envoy for religious freedom?
Ursula Von Der Leyen. Photo EPA, Sergey Dolzhenko
Dear President Von Der Leyen,
A direct question: Why does the European Union still not have a Special Envoy/High Representative for Religious Freedom and Belief? Why, after the resignation of the Greek Cypriot politician and former EU Commissioner Christos Stylianides more than a year ago, has this position not been renewed? Personally, I would have expected at least a reference to this position, which remained vacant for far too long, during the State of the Union address you held on September 14. Of course, we agree that there are many priorities and the times we live through – between a pandemic and a war at Europe’s doorstep. They force us to think about strengthening the Atlantic Alliance, dealing with the energy crisis, the cost of bills, and technological and production autonomy to not depend on competitor states such as Russia and China. The challenges are many, and no one doubts that. But it is not possible to underestimate the strategic importance of a role that, in addition to being decisive in defence of a fundamental human right, could also increase the position of the EU and its soft power on the international scene.
Good work cannot and must not be lost
Since President Juncker appointed Ján Figel in 2016 as a special envoy for religious freedom and belief outside the European Union. Thus, it responded to an explicit request by the European Parliament – a lot of water has passed under the bridge. Ján Figel’s good work cannot and must not be lost.
His role in the release of Asia Bibi was perhaps his greatest success. Still, we cannot forget his efforts for interreligious dialogue and his denunciations of the situation of persecuted and massacred Christians in the Middle East and Africa. With reduced means and instruments, Ján Figel succeeded in giving the European Union a leading role on the issues of freedom of religion and belief.
Unfortunately, since the non-confirmation of Mr Figel, and seeing how shortly Mr Stylianides held that role, the EU has lost an important space. The UN and all the more evolved and rights-conscious nations have appointed a representative for religious freedom in recent years. Why does the EU still not have anyone? Why has it decided not to invest in such a sensitive and important issue in a changing global world that needs a guide, and can this guide really be European?
The European Union and its leadership try in many ways to respond to the needs of its citizens and the many problems our continent faces. That is an exercise that sometimes even inspires some affection, some hope, but certainly not security. I do not want to join in the criticism of the EU just for the sake of taking sides. The different national interests, the different local sensitivities, and the priorities of citizens – not only different but even opposing – that there may be between Italians and Dutch, between Portuguese and Estonians, make the work of a politician at the European level a particularly complex mission. The differences are there for all to see: from the difficulties in approving the Recovery Fund to the current debate on the cap on gas prices to divergent migration policies or the rule of law in Central and Eastern European countries. All dossiers that pass through the desks of Brussels always suffer before their eventual approval, or the following debates provoke even more fractures and divisions.
Headlines
But there is perhaps something that could unite the EU countries instead of dividing them. It is not something that would hit the headlines or solve the current energy crisis. But perhaps it could prevent some conflicts. It is precisely safeguarding religious freedom, an indispensable value for defining democracies and states under the rule of law and a role from which Europe cannot abdicate.
Hence, here is an appeal to the President of the Commission Von Der Leyen, to the European Commissioner Schinas in charge, to not only re-appoint a special envoy for religious freedom as soon as possible but also to strengthen his or her role in implementing the Community effort on this issue that is so central but so sadly undervalued.
Marco Gombacci
Marco Gombacci was born in 1985 in Trieste, Italy.
Marco Gombacci He works as EU and foreign affairs analyst. He reported about the Mosul offensive (Iraq), the battle to reconquer Raqqa, from Deir Ezzor (Syria) and Nagorno Karabakh (during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaigian).
He authored the book “Kurdistan. Utopia di un popolo tradito” (ed. Salerno, 2019).
Opinions and articles have been published by Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Daily Express, TgCom45, TG5, Rai1, RaiNews 24, TRECE TV, FRANCE24, La Libre, Le Temps, and many others.
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So srdcom na Slovensku: Úvod ako záver
Bratislava 13. augusta (TK KBS) Kardinál Jozef Tomko, s ktorým sa v týchto dňoch lúčime, bol “duchovným otcom pre Slovensko”. „Napriek nútenému exilu a zodpovednosti za misie v celom svete jeho srdce zostalo späté s rodnou krajinou,” píše pred pohrebou rozlúčkou bývalý osobitný vyslanec pre podporu slobody náboženstva alebo viery mimo EÚ Ján Figeľ. Pri tejto príležitosti prinášame text, ktorý bol pôvodne napísaný 1. novembra 2006 na základe prosby kardinála Tomku ako úvod k jeho knihe úvah So srdcom na Sovensku, spoločnej publikácie vydavateľstiev Lúč a SSV v roku 2006.
Jozef kardinál Tomko a Ján Figeľ Úvod ako záver
Je dobré, keď má národ otcov, ktorí sú mu prirodzenou autoritou, inšpiráciou i oporou. Takým duchovným otcom pre Slovensko je Jozef kardinál Tomko. Napriek nútenému exilu a zodpovednosti za misie v celom svete jeho srdce zostalo späté s rodnou krajinou. Vzťah Jozefa Tomka k jeho identite a poslaniu, k jeho (výchdo)slovenským koreňom a k univerzálnej Cirkvi a celosvetovej ľudskej rodine názorne reprezentuje jeho biskupský erb. Spája v sebe symbol zemegule, dvojramenný cyrilo-metodský kríž a ľalie košickej arcidiecézy.
Jeho láska k domovine a početné pozvania ho od roku 1989 privádzajú často na Slovensko a poskytujú príležitosti prihovoriť sa k národu a spoločenstvám. Kniha So srdcom na Slovensku je zbierkou posolstiev kardinála Tomka parlamentu a politikom, univerzitám a vedcom, mládeži, veriacim, ba celej spoločnosti. Citlivo, otvorene a opakovane sa ich autor venuje niektorým témam dôležitým pre orientáciu a vývoj spoločnosti. Sú to úvahy nielen prednesené, ale aj prežité so srdcom na Slovensku.
Slovensko, ako aj okolitá časť Európy, potrebuje číriť vedomie a prehlbovať poznanie o tom, čo pre národ, jeho dejiny a identitu znamenala inkulturácia evanjelia, vytvorenie hlaholského písma, základov literatúry, ale aj preklad vyspelejších zákonníkov. “Kresťanská viera – to sú naše náboženské i kultúrne korene.” Budúcnosť tohto dedičstva závisí od jeho poznania novými generáciami a od ich vzťahu k nemu. Aby bola dedičstvom živým a žitým v aktuálnej dobe a podmienkach. Ich dnešným vyjadrením je aj formovanie spoločnej Európy, ktorej súčasťou je aj Slovensko. Kultúrny a duchovný príspevok pre europeizáciu Únie spočíva práve na schopnosti Slovenska a nových členských krajín čerpať z bohatých koreňov a tradícií, ktoré sú zdrojom pravých hodnôt. Byť v strede Európy kultúrne, duchovne a mentálne je pre Slovensko veľkou výzvou. Zrelosť pre takúto úlohu sa opiera o inšpiráciu z vlastných dejinných skúseností, ale aj o otvorenosť a kooperatívnosť s okolitým priestorom. Cyrilo-metodská tradícia znamená pre túto zrelosť jedinečné východisko a základný príspevok. Tomkova túžba po povznesení dedičstva otcov sa prejavila nielen pri budovaní Slovenského ústavu sv.Cyrila a Metoda v Ríme, ale aj pri oživovaní a uplatňovaní pamiatky a odkazu týchto velikánov úsvitu našich dejín v jeho vlastnom misijnom poslaní. Kardinál spája vieru s rozumom, kultúru s etikou, slobodu so zodpovednosťou. Lebo, ako hovorí, “čo je kresťanské, je zároveň hlboko ľudské”.
Jozef Tomko ako vzdelaná osobnosť výrazne evokuje dôležitosť racionálneho prístupu k základným a nadčasovým otázkam života, človeka a vesmíru. Nadväzuje veľmi úzko na blízkych súputníkov a spolupracovníkov a zároveň významných pápežov našej doby – Jána Pavla II. a Benedikta XVI. Viera otcov ako kultúra ducha a spolu s kultúrou ako spojivo s Európou nás má viesť k tej istej pravde ako rozum. Keďže pravda víťazí a oslobodzuje každého, jej odmietanie či relativizácia je odmietaním skutočnej slobody či relativizáciou samotnej dôstojnosti človeka. “Ľudský rozum je schopný poznať pravdu a rozlíšiť dobro od zla.” A pravda viery a pravda vedy si nikdy nemôžu protirečiť, ako racionalistov i fideistov opravuje už Galileo Galilei. Viera dopĺňajúca poznanie a rozum rozvíjajúci vieru sa nemôžu stať ani zdrojom, ani nástrojom náboženského fanatizmu či násilia. Naša modernizujúca sa spoločnosť chce stavať svoju budúcnosť a ekonomiku stále viac na vedomostiach. Kiež bude pre nás inšpiráciou a povzbudením postoj slovenského kardinála oceneného mnohými univerzitami sveta, ktorý vyzýva rozvíjať vzdelanosť, vedu a výskum a účinne ich používať pre spoločné dobro pri rešpektovaní ľudskej dôstojnosti, a ktorý odporúča v dialógu medzi vierou a rozumom formovať integrálne poznanie vedúce k etickej zodpovednosti za osobný a spoločenský vývoj!
Veľmi aktuálnymi pre slobodnú občiansku spoločnosť sú úvahy Jozefa Tomka o vzťahu medzi Cirkvou a štátom, o úlohe kresťanov v spoločnosti a v politike. Jeho myšlienky sú paralelou k odkazu Roberta Schumana – Otca Európy, ktorý tvrdí, že “za svoju existenciu vďačí demokracia kresťanstvu”. Evanjelium jasne odlišuje náboženskú (Božiu) a štátno-politickú (cisárovu) oblasť a vyzýva k ich vzájomnému rešpektovaniu. Ale zároveň prináša doktrínu lásky! Tá je základom pre ľudskú spolupatričnosť a rovnosť v právach, pre úctu k dôstojnosti každej osoby bez ohľadu na pôvod, pre budovanie spoločnosti na báze spravodlivosti, nie sily. Jozef Tomko aj na Slovensku opakovane pripomína, že štát je tu pre človeka, nie naopak. Demokracia sama osebe nie je zárukou dobra a spravodlivosti. História pozná mnohé lekcie na túto tému. Štát sa potrebuje oprieť o etiku a o zodpovedné postoje. Inak sa oslabí, ba rozloží. Bolo by nešťastím pre transformujúcu sa spoločnosť prejsť z komunizmu do konzumizmu, od násilného kolektivizmu k bezbrehému individualizmu, od zápasu o pravé hodnoty k ich relativizácii. Aj preto je dôležitá sloboda svedomia a sloboda Cirkvi v slobodnom štáte, ale aj plodná spolupráca medzi Cirkvou a štátom v službe spoločnému dobru. Toto posolstvo Jozefa Tomka vlastnej krajine je v priamej línii uplatñovania cyrilo-metodského dedičstva, ktoré zakotvuje Ústava Slovenskej republiky.
Mravná obroda, o ktorej sa tak živo komunikovalo po páde totalitného systému, akoby ustúpila do úzadia mnohým, hlučnejším témam. Akoby bol pre ňu priestor len sporadicky, pri sviatočných príležitostiach, pri vzácnych návštevách. A predsa, ona je skutočným základom pre lepší život jednotlivcov i spoločenstva. Bez tejto obnovy v každej generácii prichádza nielen starnutie spoločnosti a demografická kríza, ale aj prehlbovanie sociálnych problémov, rozpad manželstiev a rodín, nárast kriminality a násilia… Kardinál veľmi aktuálne dáva do pozornosti najmä dve hodnoty, s ktorými súvisia mnohé ďalšie a od chápania ktorých závisia osudy jednotlivcov i spoločenstiev. Sú nimi život a láska. “Sú to najzákladnejšie a najcitlivejšie hodnoty a prejavy všeľudskej prirodzenosti.” Zmysel životu dáva láska, lebo človek je povolaný k láske. Prirodzeným a najmenším spoločenstvom života a lásky je rodina. Čo je dobré pre rodinu, je dobré aj pre spoločnosť. Preto každá spoločnosť usilujúca o rozvoj v zhode s prirodzeným zákonom, počnúc ochranou života cez podporu rodiny až po medzigeneračnú solidaritu koná múdro a zodpovedne.
Jozef Tomko ako kňaz – misionár, teológ, univerzitný kancelár a literát prešiel dlhú cestu svetom rôznych ľudí, kultúr a civilizácií. Šestnásť rokov bol prefektom Kongregácie pre evanjelizáciu národov. Ovocie požehnanej služby jeho i mnohých je viditeľné na všetkých kontinentoch. Vzrastu každého spoločenstva môžeme napomôcť ponajprv svojím pričinením, ako hovorí: “Obnovou srdca a novým, jednoduchým, skromným, statočným spôsobom života sa začína obroda celej spoločnosti.” A tento vlastný prínos je potrebné upevniť v spoločnosti cez výchovu k vyšším hodnotám, k osobnej zodpovednosti a sebakritickej obnove ducha v smere zmierlivosti, solidárnosti a vzájomnej úcty ku všetkým.
U otcov obvykle hľadáme múdrosť, lásku i pomoc. Život a osobnosť kardinála Tomka tieto synovské očakávania napĺňa. Vo vzťahu k národu a rôznym spoločenstvám na Slovensku sú jeho posolstvá synovské i otcovské zároveň. Nech slúžia dlho a mnohým! Vďaka, otec Jozef, za svetlo poznania, za inšpiráciu a povzbudenia na ceste! Vďaka Bohu za dobrých otcov!
Ján Figeľ, pred pohrebnou rozlúčkou 16. augusta 2022
– Poznámka: Pôvodne bol tento text napísaný 1. novembra 2006 na základe prosby Jozefa Tomku ako úvod k jeho knihe úvah So srdcom na Sovensku, spoločnej publikácie vydavateľstiev Lúč a SSV v r. 2006.