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"The new constitution must broadly guarantee the religious freedom of all people, without any distinction," say a dozen faith groups in Chile
By Xavier Le Normand |
Representatives of a dozen faith groups in Chile – including Jews, Muslims and the various Christian denominations – have drafted a common text aimed at influencing the drafting of the South American country's new constitution.
The interfaith leaders delivered the document to one of the deputy vice-presidents of the Constituent Assembly last Tuesday.
They note they had written their text because religion is an "essential social factor in the search for the common good… a determinant in the life of individuals and communities".
"Few things are more fundamental, more important for human beings than their personal religious or moral beliefs," the faith leaders insist.
Among those who signed the document was Archbishop Fernando Chomali, president of the Catholic bishops' conference in Chile.
The right of religions to "moral judgment"
"The new constitution must broadly guarantee the religious freedom of all persons, without any distinction, as well as of all religious confessions," the text says.
It says people of faith must be guaranteed the freedom "to accomplish their mission and to develop their own activities, both public and private, with the limits of public order, morality and good manners".
In this sense, it insists that "any constraint in religious matters on the part of the government" must be rejected and, on the contrary, "the right to freedom of action for the members of the various confessions in temporal matters" should be protected.
"This approach also respects and promotes the freedom and political responsibilities of citizens," the religious leaders continue in their text.
The document goes on to point out some "truths that humanity has learned about the importance and significance of religious freedom".
"Denominations have the right and duty to teach their own doctrine about society, to exercise their mission among the people without hindrance, and to give their moral judgment, even on matters of social order," the text says.
The seven-page document also calls for the safeguarding of two religious "rights" that are sometimes more controversial.
One is the "right to regulate the marriages of their members".
The other is the "right" of parents to decide on the education -- including religious education -- of their children.
In this way, the faith leaders implicitly underline their categorical refusal to be forced to celebrate same-sex unions -- the legalization of which is currently under discussion in Chile -- and any desire to restrict the religious education of children.
Bishop Juan Ignacio González Errázuriz of San Bernardo coordinated the drafting of the text and was among those who presented it to the representative of the Constituent Assembly.
"In the life of a free, pluralistic and democratic country like Chile, religions should not have to depend on government concessions to carry out their activities," he insisted.
The faith leaders issued a letter requesting that "legitimate representatives" of religions be able to "express their thoughts adequately before the commissions" of the Constituent Assembly.
Chile's constitutional reform process was decided in late 2019 following massive protests in several cities across the country.
It was approved by nearly eight out of ten votes in a referendum held on October 25, 2020, in which only half of the voters participated.
The members of the constituent assembly were elected in elections held last May. They are expected to complete their work of drafting the new constitution sometime in 2022.
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