“Seventy-six years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights placed a simple and revolutionary principle at the heart of the international order: every person, by virtue of being human, holds inviolable rights. This is the message the international community entrusted to the future, drawing lessons from the moral and material ruins left by the world conflicts. It is a message that continues to challenge our collective conscience”.
To mark this anniversary, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) organised a conference entitled “Freedom of Faith, Belief, and Conscience: A Fundamental Right for Coexistence and European Integration”, held on Thursday, 11 December 2025, at Esperienza Europa – David Sassoli in Rome.
Moderated by Mrs. Gabriella Mieli, Head of External Relations for UPF Italy, the event brought together representatives from institutions, academia, and journalism, with the aim of raising awareness among governments and the public in support of an international order grounded in respect for human rights.
The conference opened with institutional greetings from Ms. Elena Grech, Deputy Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, who emphasised that human rights form a core pillar of European identity. Referring to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, she noted that human rights protection does not stop at Europe’s borders. She explained how the EU also uses financial measures and sanctions, such as the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, adopted in 2020, to target those responsible for genocide and torture worldwide. According to Ms. Grech, Europe’s global credibility depends on its internal consistency; for this reason, the annual Rule of Law Report monitors key issues across the 27 Member States, including press freedom and judicial independence. She concluded with an image—human rights are like light; we recognise their value most clearly when “the lights go out” and we find ourselves in darkness.
Mr. Carlo Zonato, President of UPF Italy, introduced UPF’s vision as a peace-oriented foundation established by Rev Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, highlighting the spiritual dimension of human life and comparing the body’s need for nourishment with the spirit’s need for truth and love. Mr. Zonato went on to explain UPF’s philosophy that freedom of faith, belief, and conscience is the foundation of all human rights: when it is threatened, every other liberty becomes more vulnerable. He then gave a presentation about IAPD, pointing out that, despite differences in ritual practices, religions share universal values. He concluded by stressing a key point: freedom of worship is not a political privilege, but an essential right linked to human dignity.
Before introducing the next speaker, Mrs. Gabriella Mieli read a message from UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres, who, pointing to the alarming shrinking of civic space, reaffirmed the ethical responsibility to protect the most vulnerable.
Mr. Antonio Stango, President of the Italian Federation for Human Rights, spoke next, focusing on the growing gap between international law and today’s reality. He urged participants to compare treaty principles with the violent actions carried out by numerous UN Member States, and expressed strong criticism of regimes he described as “totalitarian” —such as Iran—which seek to impose rules even within the most intimate sphere of conscience. Mr. Stango also challenged the claim that human rights are merely a Western concept and not applicable to certain traditions, citing Taiwan as an example—a society rooted in Chinese culture where religious and democratic freedoms are protected—showing that universal rights can be compatible with diverse cultural contexts.
Journalist Mr. Marco Respinti, director of Bitter Winter, stated provocatively that he has an “allergy” to “international days”, especially when they risk becoming ceremonial commemorations that serve as an excuse to neglect rights throughout the rest of the year. In his view, human rights are not “created” by laws; they belong to human nature, and denying them ultimately dehumanises the person. Religious freedom—understood in a non-clerical sense—is, for him, the “fundamental political right”, because it implies the freedom to determine the ultimate meaning of one’s existence. He added that violations and restrictions occur not only in totalitarian regimes but sometimes also in Western democracies, citing debated cases in France and Canada.
In her presentation, Ms. Raffaella Di Marzio, founder and director of the LIREC Study Centre, focused on violations affecting religious minorities—often disparaged as “cults”—and highlighted how some media outlets can fuel hostility and discrimination. She pointed to two particularly troubling and still under-discussed phenomena. On one side, forms of collusion between dominant religions and the state to restrict minority groups (as in the Russian Orthodox Church’s stance toward Jehovah’s Witnesses); on the other, “deprogramming”, reported in Japan, South Korea, and Italy, which may involve abduction and psychological or physical coercion aimed at forcing individuals to abandon their faith. According to Ms. Di Marzio, the response lies in educating younger generations and promoting mutual understanding to overcome prejudice.
Attorney Angelo Lucarella, an expert in constitutional law and European affairs, noted that even where religious freedom is formally recognised in the constitutions of countries considered authoritarian (such as China and Iran), its real implementation depends on the political system and on the relationship between the individual, state authority and religious power. He added that rights are not always presented in a fully binding way in constitutions and often require interpretative work. In conclusion, he identified populism and fundamentalism as different but converging dynamics that can endanger freedoms, stressing the need for global human rights education that goes beyond declarations of principle.
Mr. Riccardo Burigana, Director of the Centre for Ecumenical Studies in Italy, traced the historical evolution of the Catholic Church, from Error non habet ius (Error has no rights) to the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Dignitatis Humanae, which focused on the dignity of the human person and recognised religious freedom as a fundamental right. He referred to the commitment of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II and discussed new horizons in interreligious dialogue, aimed not at conversion but at mutual knowledge and peace, in continuity with the “Spirit of Assisi” initiated in 1986. He concluded by acknowledging current challenges, including debates on rights related to sexual orientation, and reaffirmed the ongoing commitment of European Christian churches to the protection of human rights.
The final speaker, Prof. Matteo Luigi Napolitano, historian at the University of Molise, also a diplomat, highlighted emerging diplomatic challenges, noting that democracy cannot negotiate with its absolute opposite, as represented by ISIS. The core of his talk addressed the existence of a “second bill of rights”, namely the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990), which subordinates rights to Sharia and creates a conceptual and practical conflict with the 1948 Universal Declaration. Prof. Napolitano explained that this dualism generates significant diplomatic difficulties and that attempts to find common ground between the two frameworks are still ongoing, with potential repercussions on sensitive dossiers, including the Palestinian question.
The final part of the event was marked by a symbolic moment. Mr. Carlo Zonato, President of UPF Italy, presented the Ambassador for Peace award to Mr. Francesco Pio Piccolo, a young philanthropist, and to Professor Gianni Cara, who received the honours through a delegate. The recognition, bestowed at the close of Human Rights Day, acknowledged their sustained commitment to social inclusion, education, and humanitarian service—values that embody the vision of “One Family Under God” promoted by the Universal Peace Federation.