unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/24/89)
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT OF G.A. AT SEMINAR ON CHURCH AND RACISM Posting Date: 09/24/89 Source: UNITEX Network, Hoboken, NJ, USA Host: (201) 795-0733 ISSN: 1043-7932 Following is the text of the address delivered on Thursday, 21 September, by Joseph N. Garba (Nigeria), President of the forty-fourth session of the General Assembly, to the Seminar on the Church and Racism: I wish to thank you sincerely for the honour you have done me by inviting me to share with you some of my thoughts at such an important Seminar on Racism. I have been advised that as President of the forty-fourth session of the General Assembly, I would be called upon from time to time to address many gatherings devoted to examining the human condition and how to ameliorate the problem that beset our world. In doing so for the first time, I am particularly happy that it is at this Seminar sponsored by the Catholic Church. I say so, not only because I am a practising Catholic, but also because the theme of the Seminar, which is: "The Church and Racism", is of crucial importance to expanding the frontiers of human understanding and racial harmony, which, in turn, could contribute postively to promoting peace and justice in the world. Partly out of ignorance and fear, and partly for self-preservation, the human tendency through the ages has been to be wary, if not xenophobic, of other persons and cultures outside one's immediate environment. That could be why racism and racial bigotry are as old as humanity. However, the perception and manifestation of racism has been different through the ages. Thus, in the history of some ancient civilizations, racism and racial discrimination were practised and justified more, in the terms of perceived levels of civilization, clearly based on ethno-centrism, and conquest, and, to a lesser extent, religious persuasion, than in the colour of the skin. Today, however, due to the history and legacy of the despicable slave trade, colonialism and its attendant ills of economic exploitation, human degradation, and denial of fundamental human rights and human dignity, racism has assumed a new dimension. That dimension is so ominous that unless the international community as well as States and individuals exercise great understanding, tolerance, sympathy and care, the practices of racism and racial discrimination could trigger a racial war and thus threaten international peace and security. In this context, I should like to quote his Holiness, Pope John Paul II who, at the occasion of granting me audience in my capacity as Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid, in July 1984 said the following: "Man's creation by God 'in his own image' (Gen.1:27) confers upon every human person an eminent dignity; it also postulates the fundamental equality of all human beings. For the Church, this equality, which is rooted in man's being, acquires the dimension of an altogether special brotherhood through the Incarnation of the Son of God, whose sacrifice redeemed all people. In the Redemption effected by Jesus Christ, the Church sees a further basis of the rights and duties of the human person. Hence, every form of discrimination based on race, whether occasional or systematically practised, and whether it is aimed at individuals or whole racial groups, is absolutely unacceptable." There could be no better example of this sword of Damocles hanging over the world today than the policies and practices of apartheid, while acknowledging the many other aspects of racial bigotry in our imperfect world. Apartheid, an outdated economic and social system built on discredited theories and doctrines about a superior race, is institutionalized racism. It is sustained by the very crude and base instincts as well as mindless brutality. Thus, apartheid represents the most pervasive denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms practised in any human society. In the course of my work as Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid, I have followed the anti-apartheid campaign more closely and thus got to know more about the tragic consequences of that evil and vile system called apartheid. In turn, I have felt deep outrage and been frustrated by the sad fact that, so far, apartheid has thrived and defied every conceivable effort by decent peoples of goodwill within the international community, Governments and institutions alike to eradicate it. For its part, the United Nations has been considering the question of apartheid for nearly 43 years, nearly as long as the United Nations has been in existence. That apartheid still remains a blot on the conscience of mankind is not due to the lack of sustained action by the United Nations, its agencies, voluntary agencies, individuals or Governments. We have all come to realize that apartheid thrives because of the stubborn support, comfort and sustenance given to successive South African regimes by Governments, individuals and powerful interest groups of some influential nations. We all know the different reasons behind such support. It bears repeating, however, that for some supporters it is greed -- greed in exploiting South Africa's mineral resources and the conditions of exploitative slave labour under which most of the wealth in that country and neighbouring Namibia are created. For others, it is geo-political and strategic considerations. And yet for others, it could well be thinly veiled residual racism. It is regrettable that racism and racial discrimination remain * Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501) --- Patt Haring | United Nations | FAX: 212-787-1726 patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | BBS: 201-795-0733 patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | (3/12/24/9600 Baud) -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-