Pope urges human rights; says unilateral acts undermine U.N.

UNITED NATIONS Pope Benedict XVI came to the U.N. Friday to emphasize that human rights - more than force or pragmatic politics - must be the basis for ending war and poverty, and to back the world body's efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue.
He also said countries that act unilaterally on the world stage undermine the authority of the United Nations and weaken the broad consensus needed to confront global problems.
"The promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups, and for increasing security," Benedict told the General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.
"Indeed, the victims of hardship and despair, whose human dignity is violated with impunity, become easy prey to the call to violence, and they can then become violators of peace," the 81-year-old pope said.
He made no explicit reference to a nation or conflict in particular. And he laid no specific blame in a speech, which was long on philosophy and theology and short on specifics.
He argued that human rights must be defined as God-given and thus unchanging -- not fuzzy, subjective products of politicians that can shift in different circumstances.
Human rights, he said, "are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts." He added that removing rights from this context "would mean restricting their range" and that "when presented purely in terms of legality, rights risk becoming weak propositions divorced from the ethical and rational dimension which is their foundation and their goal."
Benedict's speech was timed to mark the 60th Anniversary of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He raised concerns about limits on religious freedom, and about scientific advancements that can harm "the order of creation."
SWIPE AT US
In a subtle swipe at recent U.S. foreign policy, he said that while every state has the right to self-protection, such a right comes with responsibilities.
"What is needed is a deeper search for ways of pre-empting and managing conflicts by exploring every possible diplomatic avenue, and giving attention and encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation," he said.
The pope emphasized that the the United Nations work is vital. But he raised concerns that power is concentrated among just handful of players. "Multilateral consensus," he said, "continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a small number."