“Religious Freedom and Human Integral Development” is the theme of an international conference that took place today at the extraterritorial seat of the Order of Malta on the Aventine. The conference was organized jointly by the Embassy of the Order to the Holy See, the Atlantic Council, Notre Dame University, University of Sussex, John Cabot University, and the Pontifical Urban University.
The conference was attended by about sixty university professors and researchers from 19 countries, representatives of governments and religions, as well as personalities from the Holy See and the Order of Malta, and a few others invitees. It focuses one among the most delicate global issues as in many countries there are restrictions on religious freedom and worship.
The conference is the result of in-depth collaboration between different institutions and aims to offer a new platform for an open and balanced dialogue, while the Order of Malta is pleased to provide one of its extraterritorial seats and to participate in a high-level scientific and academic exercise.
The day of study, entirely in English, was opened by H.E. Msgr. Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and included four seminar sessions, concluding with a round table discussion at the presence of H.E. the Grand Master of the Order, Fra’ John T. Dunlap, introduced by H.E. the Grand Chancellor, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo.
Present at the concluding phase of the event was also His Eminence the Cardinal Secretary of State.
The conference has been organized by a “Steering Committee” including Prof. Dan Negrea of the Atlantic Council, Antonio Zanardi Landi, Ambassador of the Order of Malta to the Holy See, Prof. Fabio Petito of the University of Sussex, and Prof. Scott Appleby of Notre Dame University, and a Scientific Committee composed of, besides Prof. Petito and Prof. Appleby, Prof. Silvio Ferrari of the University of Milan, Prof. Michael Driessen of John Cabot University, and Prof. Vincenzo Buonomo, Rector of the Pontifical Urban University.

click here to see the conference brochure

click here to see the speech of SER Msgr. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States