The Freedom of Religions and Beliefs in the European ContextAn Introduction to the Book

Resum

The first chapter of this book is a sort of cover letter in which the authors raise the general problems we face when analysing what this right and freedom mean and how it is interpreted in the European context. It seems well worth looking at the history to understand the importance of Freedom of Religions and Beliefs (FoRB) being recognised as a universal fundamental right. The authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights witnessed the great difficulty (not impossibility) of reconciling the different thoughts of the representatives of the States while, at the same time, the necessity of its proclamation as a human right. However, as can be seen from the description given in this initial chapter, the problems arising from its interpretation are various, heterogeneous and complex. Analysing this right and freedom in the European context means keeping in mind that Europe is a multicultural scenario in which accepting and accommodating different beliefs does not seem easy. However, this is certainly not an insurmountable obstacle when tolerance is premised as the key to peaceful coexistence. A multicultural scenario, we say, in which it becomes clear that the highest interpreters of the FoRB, the ECJ and the CJEU have said not everything.