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Redemptor hominis - Pope John Paul II
17. Human rights: "letter" or "spirit"
This century has so far been a century of great calamities for man, of great
devastations, not only material ones but also moral ones, indeed perhaps above
all moral ones. Admittedly it is not easy to compare one age or one century
with another under this aspect, since that depends also on changing historical
standards. Nevertheless, without applying these comparisons, one still cannot
fail to see that this century has so far been one in which people have provided
many injustices and sufferings for themselves. Has this process been decisively
curbed? In any case, we cannot fail to recall at this point, with esteem and
profound hope for the future, the magnificent effort made to give life to the
United Nations Organization, an effort conducive to the definition and
establishment of man's objective and inviolable rights, with the member States
obliging each other to observe them rigorously. This commitment has been
accepted and ratified by almost all present-day States, and this should
constitute a guarantee that human rights will become throughout the world a
fundamental principle of work for man's welfare.
There is no need for the Church to confirm how closely this problem is
linked with her mission in the modern world. Indeed it is at the very basis of
social and international peace, as has been declared by John XXIII, the Second
Vatican Council, and later Paul VI, in detailed documents. After all, peace
comes down to respect for man's inviolable rights-Opus iustitiae pax-while
war springs from the violation of these rights and brings with it still graver
violations of them. If human rights are violated in time of peace, this is
particularly painful and from the point of view of progress it represents an
incomprehensible manifestation of activity directed against man, which can in
no way be reconciled with any programme that describes itself as
"humanistic". And what social, economic, political or cultural
programme could renounce this description? We are firmly convinced that there
is no programme in today's world in which man is not invariably brought to the
fore, even when the platforms of the programmes are made up of conflicting
ideologies concerning the way of conceiving the world.
If, in spite of these premises, human rights are being violated in various
ways, if in practice we see before us concentration camps, violence, torture,
terrorism, and discrimination in many forms, this must then be the consequence
of the other premises, undermining and often almost annihilating the
effectiveness of the humanistic premises of these modern programmes and
systems. This necessarily imposes the duty to submit these programmes to
continual revision from the point of view of the objective and inviolable
rights of man.
The Declaration of Human Rights linked with the setting up of the United
Nations Organization certainly had as its aim not only to departfrom the
horrible experiences of the last world war but also to create the basis for
continual revision of programmes, systems and regimes precisely from this
single fundamental point of view, namely the welfare of man-or, let us say, of
the person in the community-which must, as a fundamental factor in the common
good, constitute the essential criterion for all programmes, systems and
regimes. If the opposite happens, human life is, even in time of peace,
condemned to various sufferings and, along with these sufferings, there is a
development of various forms of domination, totalitarianism, neocolonialism and
imperialism, which are a threat also to the harmonious living together of the
nations. Indeed, it is a significant fact, repeatedly confirmed by the
experiences of history, that violation of the rights of man goes hand in hand
with violation of the rights of the nation, with which man is united by organic
links as with a larger family.
Already in the first half of this century, when various State
totalitarianisms were developing, which, as is well known, led to the horrible
catastrophe of war, the Church clearly outlined her position with regard to
these regimes that to all appearances were acting for a higher good, namely the
good of the State, while history was to show instead that the good in question
was only that of a certain party, which had been identified with the
State111. In reality, those regimes had restricted the rights of the
citizens, denying them recognition precisely of those inviolable human rights
that have reached formulation on the international level in the middle of our
century. While sharing the joy of all people of good will, of all people who
truly love justice and peace, at this conquest, the Church, aware that the
"letter" on its own can kill, while only "the spirit gives
life"112, must continually ask, together with these people of good
will, whether the Declaration of Human Rights and the acceptance of their
"letter" mean everywhere also the actualization of their
"spirit". Indeed, well founded fears arise that very often we are
still far from this actualization and that at times the spirit of social and
public life is painfully opposed to the declared "letter" of human
rights. This state of things, which is burdensome for the societies concerned,
would place special responsibility towards these societies and the history of
man on those contributing to its establishment.
The essential sense of the State, as a political community, consists in that
the society and people composing it are master and sovereign of their own
destiny. This sense remains unrealized if, instead of the exercise of power
with the moral participation of the society or people, what we see is the
imposition of power by a certain group upon all the other members of the
society. This is essential in the present age, with its enormous increase in
people's social awareness and the accompanying need for the citizens to have a
right share in the political life of the community, while taking account of the
real conditions of each people and the necessary vigour of public
authority113. These therefore are questions of primary importance from
the point of view of the progress of man himself and the overall development of
his humanity.
The Church has always taught the duty to act for the common good and, in so
doing, has likewise educated good citizens for each State. Furthermore, she has
always taught that the fundamental duty of power is solicitude for the common
good of society; this is what gives power its fundamental rights. Precisely in
the name of these premises of the objective ethical order, the rights of power
can only be understood on the basis of respect for the objective and inviolable
rights of man. The common good that authority in the State serves is brought to
full realization only when all the citizens are sure of their rights. The lack
of this leads to the dissolution of society, opposition by citizens to
authority, or a situation of oppression, intimidation, violence, and terrorism,
of which many exemples have been provided by the totalitarianisms of this
century. Thus the principle of human rights is of profound concern to the area
of social justice and is the measure by which it can be tested in the life of
political bodies.
These rights are rightly reckoned to include the right to religious freedom
together with the right to freedom of conscience. The Second Vatican Council
considered especially necessary the preparation of a fairly long declaration on
this subject. This is the document called Dignitatis Humanae,114
in which is expressed not only the theological concept of the question but also
the concept reached from the point of view of natural law, that is to say from
the "purely human" position, on the basis of the premises given by
man's own experience, his reason and his sense of human dignity. Certainly the
curtailment of the religious freedom of individuals and communities is not only
a painful experience but it is above all an attack on man's very dignity,
independently of the religion professed or of the concept of the world which
these individuals and communities have. The curtailment and violation of
religious freedom are in contrast with man's dignity and his objective rights.
The Council document mentioned above states clearly enough what that
curtailment or violation of religious freedom is. In this case we are
undoubtedly confronted with a radical injustice with regard to what is
particularly deep within man, what is authentically human. Indeed, even the
phenomenon of unbelief, a-religiousness and atheism, as a human phenomenon, is
understood only in relation to the phenomenon of religion and faith. It is
therefore difficult, even from a "purely human" point of view, to
accept a position that gives only atheism the right of citizenship in public
and social life, while believers are, as though by principle, barely tolerated
or are treated as second-class citizens or are even-and this has already
happened- entirely deprived of the rights of citizenship.Even if briefly, this subject must also be dealt with, because it too enters
into the complex of man's situations in the present-day world and because it
too gives evidence of the degree to which this situation is overburdened by
prejudices and injustices of various kinds. If we refrain from entering into
details in this field in which we would have a special right and duty to do so,
it is above all because, together with all those who are suffering the torments
of discrimination and persecution for the name of God, we are guided by faith
in the redeeming power of the Cross of Christ. However, because of my office, I
appeal in the name of all believers throughout the world to those on whom the
organization of social and public life in some way depends, earnestly
requesting them to respect the rights of religion and of the Church's activity.
No privilege is asked for, but only respect for an elementary right. Actuation
of this right is one of the fundamental tests of man's authentic progress in
any regime, in any society, system or milieu.
"By entering Carmel you undertook to reproduce in yourself the life of the Crucified." St. Teresa Margaret Redi
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