[ Michael Servetus Institute]

“1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change its religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance. 2. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection for the rights and freedoms of others.”
(Article 9, The European Convention of Human Rights, done at Rome in 1950)

“Such is the fragility of the human condition that we condemn the spirit of others as impostors and impious and except our own, for no one recognizes their own errors. (...) You say that I want all to be thieves and that no one should be punished or killed. I call Almighty God as witness that this is not my opinion and I detest it. But if ever I said anyrthing it is because I consider it a serious matter to kill men because they are in error on some question of scriptural interpretation, when we know that event the elect ones may be led astray into error.”

(Letter from Servetus to Oecolampadius, Basel, 1531)