The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the Organisation of American States (OAS) addresses its Permanent Council, reflecting on democracy, human rights, security, and development.
Vatican News
Archbishop Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS), addressed its Permanent Council on Wednesday during the organization’s Eighth Extraordinary Session dedicated to dialogue between the Organization and its Permanent Observers.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., Archbishop Cruz Serrano recalled that the Holy See has valued the OAS as “a privileged political forum for dialogue, cooperation, and consensus-building” among the nations of the Americas since becoming a Permanent Observer in 1978.
Strengthening, not undermining
Central to the Archbishop’s remarks was a reference to Pope Leo XIV’s message for the most recent World Day of Peace, in which the Holy Father stressed that the path of diplomacy, mediation, and international law—despite being “sadly contradicted by increasingly frequent violations of hard-won agreements”—requires not the delegitimization but rather the reinforcement of supranational institutions.
In this light, Archbishop Cruz Serrano described the OAS, often called the “House of the Americas,” as being called to reflect “an integral vision of the human person and of societies,” grounded in its four pillars: democracy, human rights, multidimensional security, and integral development.
A vision rooted in human dignity
Addressing each pillar in turn, the Archbishop underscored the importance of a democratic culture sustained by solid institutions and dialogue.
On human rights, he reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to the promotion of a culture of life “from the first moment of conception to natural death,” and highlighted religious freedom as essential not only as an individual right but also as a foundation for peaceful coexistence.
He stressed the need for coordinated responses to poverty, violence, and environmental degradation, noting that the Holy See can offer “perspectives, experiences, and collaboration” to strengthen hemispheric policies and build a region that is “ever more peaceful, sustainable, and welcoming of migrants and the excluded.”
Archbishop Cruz Serrano concluded by reaffirming the Holy See’s readiness to continue its active collaboration with the OAS, expressing confidence that multilateral dialogue oriented toward the common good can respond effectively to the aspirations of the peoples of the hemisphere.
