Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on the topic of crimes against humanity.
Archbishop Caccia lamented the many crimes committed against humanity which continue to violate human dignity.
Such actions, he said, are not only proscribed by the existing customary law but also by international law.
However, “a universal, multilateral treaty that would codify existing customary law would certainly promote international cooperation for the prevention and punishment of these crimes,” said the Apostolic Nuncio.
Holy See condemns crimes against humanity
The Italian-born Archbishop stressed that the Holy See believes that defining crimes against humanity should be based on existing international law, as modifying their definition would not receive broad consent, thereby weakening the effectiveness of the system.
Affirming the stance of the Holy See, the Archbishop said the Holy See opposes any move to remove the definition of “gender” from Article 3 of the proposed new Convention.
He therefore told the UN that his delegation emphasized the importance of understanding human nature when addressing crimes disproportionately affecting women and girls.
