Today, December 9, is internationally known as the “Day of Secularism and Freedom of Conscience”. The law is thus celebrated which was promulgated in France in 1905, establishing secularism in the French country.
Secularism is one of the backbones of democracy, along with freedom of conscience, freedom of thought and freedom of expression that underpin political and social freedoms.
Secularism guarantees the right to believe or not to believe, the right to practice the religion that best suits their needs metaphysical, to have ideological and military convictions for them, or to have none, to change religion and ideology if desired.
More generally, secularism ensures equal rights regardless of the spiritual, philosophical, religious or ideological choice freely chosen by each citizen. And it means the guarantee that the State must ensure that the public space is not hegemonized by any of the ideological, religious or other powers, this being the meeting place on equal terms for all citizens.
In this way, secularism enables every man and woman in a democratic and free society to be emancipated from all totalizing and alienating guardianship.
On this special day, our solidarity with all those who fight for their dignity, in particular Iranian and Afghan women; and others who fight in the world for their individual freedom against authoritarianism of all kinds, for democracies and public freedoms. We repudiate the attempted coup in Peru.
We, as Uruguayans, keep in mind the principles of our public education as “Free, Compulsory and Secular“.
Our secularism is embedded in our most genuine democratic traditions; so let us remember once again and make firm commitment with Article 5 of our Republican Constitution:
“All religious cults are free in Uruguay. The State does not support any religion“.
Montevideo, 9 December 2022
Asoc. Civil September 20
Montevideo – Uruguay
WEB: www.20destiembre.org
E-MAIL: secretaria@20desetiembre.org
Autom transl from Spanish by Reverso