Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See recognition from the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See's Secretariat of State issued a statement clarifying that "other than its own Equestrian Orders... the Holy See recognises and supports only the Sovereign Military Order of Malta... and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre". All other self-styled chivalric orders, the statement continued, "whether of recent origin or mediaeval foundation, are not recognised by the Holy See" and "the Holy See does not guarantee their historical or juridical legitimacy, their ends or organisational structures... to prevent the continuation of abuses which may result in harm to people of good faith, the
Multilateral foreign policy of the Holy See excludes all possibilities of recourse and restoration in the event of a miscarriage of justice. Consequently, the Holy See worked for the adoption of a UN moratorium on the death penalty. Following Vatican Council II, the Holy See has uphold, at the international level, the centrality of the freedom of conscience and religion among all Human Rights since, in its view, those freedoms impinge on essence of the Human person. Pope Benedict XVI noted that "religious freedom expresses what is unique about the human person, for it allows us to direct our personal and social life to God, in whose