At the Order of Malta headquarters

“Religious Freedom and Integral Human Development” was the theme of an international conference held on Wednesday, 5 June, in Rome, at the Sovereign Order of Malta headquarters on the Aventine Hill. Organized by the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Holy See, the Freedom and Prosperity Center Advisory Council of the Atlantic Council in the United States, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Sussex, John Cabot University and the Pontifical University Urbaniana, the event brought together more than 60 academics, including university professors and researchers from 19 countries, representing a variety of governments and religions. The conference was the fruit of close collaboration among various institutions to provide a new platform of open and balanced dialogue where urgent issues, like religious persecution and discrimination, could be addressed. The one-day conference began with opening remarks from Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and was divided into four panel sessions. Among the speakers were the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap, and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.