The Church and Human Rights

Abstract

The Church accepts natural dignity of every man and has always firmly emphasized the infrangible and nontransferable character of human rights. One can find statements of this kind in the Scripture, in the teaching of the Primeval Church, and now in John XXIII's encyclicals (e. g. Pacem in terris), in Vaticanum II's documents, in Post-councillar (e. g. synodal) documents, in the project of the Fundamental Right of the Church, in the Code of Canon Law laid down by John Paul II, and in the documents of various pontifical commissions, e. g. In the Family's Rights Charter. The problem of the protection of human rights often comes up in the teaching (encyclicals and addresses) and activity of John Paul II.