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Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
 Posted - 06/28/2002 : 04:34:01
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In a stunning and unexpected move the Vatican declared that it would join the 1984UN
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
AP Article at the Washington Post
Is this a sign of progress or just a move to make us lower our guard, so that nobody will expect the Spanish Inquisition?
Does the Vatican consider Excommunication cruel and unusual? According to the church it is an almost certain damnation to an eternity in hell. I can't think of a cruler punishment.
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the_ignored
SFN Addict
2562 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2002 : 09:28:54 [Permalink]
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Geezus!! It sure as hell took them long enough! What gets me is that they didn't do this earlier. How they could have still pretended to distance themselves from torture(before this announcement) about that stuff is beyond me.
It's noteworthy that the rest of the world beat them to it in 1984. How did the Catholics claim to be civilized from them until now, since it's only now that they've decided to join the rest of the world in condemning torture?
quote:
Is this a sign of progress or just a move to make us lower our guard, so that nobody will expect the Spanish Inquisition?
Been watching Monty Python, have you? 
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2002 : 16:50:41 [Permalink]
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Does this mean that they'll be closing all their parochial schools and making the Nuns hand in their rulers?
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My business is to teach my aspirations to conform themselves to fact, not to try and make facts harmonize with my aspirations. ---Thomas Henry Huxley, 1860 |
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ktesibios
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2002 : 08:44:15 [Permalink]
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Wasn't it fairly recently that the Church admitted that it hadn't done such a good job with that whole Galileo thing?
At the rate they're going they should be up to the 18th century any decade now. 
Ford, there's an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they've worked out. |
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Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2002 : 08:54:17 [Permalink]
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In a fit of curiosity I decided to find out what other human-rights treaties the vatican was party to, and I just had to share my findings.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has a informative web page on International Human Rights Instruments. They have an interesting PDF-table there that shows wich nations have signed and ratified wich treaties.
I must say that I was surprised. The Holy See has already signed two of the six major treaties in question, giving them a score of 4 out of 11 if you count optional protocols.
With the Convention against Torture they have a new score of 5/11 (3/6 just treaties without the additinal optional protocols)
By comparison, the US has a score of 3/11 (3/6 not counting optional protocols).
The Vatican is downright civilized if you can take those treaties as an indicator.
Two other interesting tidbits:
Neither the Vatican nor the US are among the 169 members of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Something about 'Family Values' I think.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has been signed and ratified by all 193 internatinal parties (189 UN-Members and 4 non-members) with the sole exception of two nations: Somalia and the United States of America.
And in regards to the Python question:
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Amongst whose weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope and nice red uniforms.
Addition about the Gallileo thing:
Only if you count 1992 as fairly recently.
Edited by - Lars_H on 06/29/2002 09:18:34 |
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