Rooted in the God-given and inviolable dignity of the hu-man being, religious liberty is an inalienable and non-nego-tiable right, and defending it is integral to the mission of the church. Throughout its history the World Council of Chur-ches has been closely and criti-cally involved in international cy and setting standards in this area. On the basis of efforts of monitoring, advoca-his own long acquaintance with this ecumenical work, Ninan Koshy places the evolution of ecumenical thinking on religious liberty in the context of recent developments, highlighting its links with other human rights and the role of the state and of religions in fostering or impeding religious liberty. Separate chapters examine in detail the work of the WCC, the Roman Catholic Church and the United Nations on religious liberty.