E/CN.4/2000/65 page 40 151. With regard to the question of evangelization and the problems arising especially in countries traditionally tied to the Orthodox religion or to Islam, the Secretariat of State explained that religion could not be restricted within boundaries, as that would be contrary to human rights. On the contrary, where religion is concerned, the individual must take precedence over territorial considerations. Thus Polish and German Catholics living in countries of the former Soviet Bloc following the Orthodox tradition and the Christian minority residing in Saudi Arabia have religious requirements and rights to which the Catholic Church should legitimately be able to attend. Cardinal Silvestrini considered that the relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches were gradually improving. 152. With regard to accusations that poverty is sometimes exploited for the purpose of gaining converts to Catholicism, the Secretariat of State said that any practices of that kind in use currently or in the past ran contrary to the Vatican’s instructions, which advocated assistance without imposing faith. Similarly, in reply to complaints in Africa by Muslim organizations alleging that Christianization on the continent had been favoured by colonization and that Catholicism had been supported after colonization by aid activities, the Secretariat of State pointed out that Islam’s resources in Africa were far greater than those of the Vatican. It was also stated that the Church was making an effort to detach itself from any colonial legacy while encouraging African Catholics to take their lives in hand. 3. The question of “sects or new religious movements” 153. The question of sects or new religious movements, or movements claiming to be such, is dealt with by the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Culture. The approach in this case is different from that adopted for Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, traditional and other religions, since study and documentation take precedence over dialogue. In 1995, the Working Group set up by the above bodies published an anthology of texts by the Sovereign Pontiff and the Catholic Episcopate under the title “Sects and New Religious Movements: Anthology of Texts by the Catholic Church (1986-1994)”. This Working Group has also taken part in several meetings, including the international symposium on “Reincarnation and the Christian message” (Gregorian University, Rome, March 1997), the Ecumenical Conference on “Religious freedom and new religious movements in central and eastern Europe” (Hungary, September 1997), and the Congress on “Societies and the new religious pluralism” (Canada, August 1996). The Working Group has identified essentially ecumenical and socio-juridical problems. Ecumenical problems revolve around the question of proselytism. According to the Working Group, in the countries of central and eastern Europe, the Catholic community, which is a minority, is often compared by Orthodox believers to a “sect”. A joint document should be drafted on ecumenical rights and duties, providing criteria for distinguishing proselytism from Christian testimony, and fundamentalism from genuine fidelity to the Gospel. The socio-juridical problem, according to the Working Group, resides in the fact that the new forms of religiosity constitute a challenge both for evangelization and for fundamental values. There is therefore a need to study questions such as how to defend not only religious freedom, but also the human dignity of every individual, which is threatened by sectarian associations; how to safeguard the common good in a pluralistic society against the subversive aims of certain movements; and what sort of legal status should be granted to associations of a religious nature.