President of Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, has defended the importance of religious freedom. This comes ahead of the the launch of ACN’s Religious Freedom Report on 20th April.

By ACN Staff

Speaking ahead of the launch of Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World Report, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza has defended the importance of religious freedom. The Italian cardinal is the international president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Cardinal Piacenza explained that religious freedom is essential for the respect of human dignity and cannot be allowed to be trampled upon by governments of political parties for any reason.

Cardinal Piacenza explained that religious freedom and freedom of conscience are essential for all freedoms enjoyed by men and women, as conscience is fundamentally linked with individual dignity. The cardinal expressed his view that the Religious Freedom Report is an integral part of Aid to the Church in Need’s mission as a complement and accompaniment to Aid to the Church in Need’s pastoral and advocacy work.

Aid to the Church in Need launches the Religious Freedom in the World Report every two years and has been doing so since 1999. The report examines the state of religious freedom in all 196 countries in the world.