Delphic Podcast by Michael R D James
Oct 24, 2026 · 13 min · 6 segments
Philosophical and Theological thinking have for a considerable period of time been at loggerheads with each other over the issue of the nature and character of man, especially the issue of whether he…
Michael R. D. JamesHostThe Church gratefully acknowledges that the movement toward the identification and proclamation of human rights is one of the most significant attempts to respond effectively to the inescapable demands of human dignity.
In this regard, Saint John Paul II stated that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations, on 10 December 1948, remains one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our time.
For this reason, from the Christian perspective, human rights are not an external addition to the person, but an expression of intrinsic human dignity, which the international community is called upon to protect and promote.
Human rights are inviolable, since they are inherent in the human person and in human dignity.
Precisely because they are grounded in the common dignity of every man and woman, they have practical consequences and legal effects, for it would be vain to proclaim human rights if, at the same time, everything were not done to ensure the duty of respecting them, respect by all, in all places and for all.
Among these rights, the first is the right to life, from conception to its natural end, without which it is impossible to exercise any other right.
When this fundamental right is denied, as in the cases of induced abortion, killing of the innocent and euthanasia, we are faced with choices that the Church considers gravely wrong.
Section 56 Looking at our own time, we cannot ignore the fact that the protection of human rights has been exposed to two particularly serious dangers.
The first is that these rights are declared in a purely formal sense, while technological progress continues alongside covert or overt violations of human dignity.
The second, which is in fact the root of the first, is the inability to recognise the foundation of their universality, since we have abandoned the search for the solid foundations sustaining our decisions and our laws.
He pointed out that when reason seriously examines human nature, it is capable of discovering values that apply to everyone, since they derive from human nature.
If this task of inquiry were abandoned, it is conceivable that rights considered untouchable today might, in the future, end up being questioned or denied by those in power, perhaps after having obtained only an apparent consensus from populations that are frightened or manipulated.
section 57 along with a greater awareness of the value of every human person and their rights recognition of minority rights has also grown yet there is still a long way to go to ensure that the rights of a great many namely women are equally and genuinely guaranteed throughout the world it is a fact that doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion mistreatment and violence since they are frequently less able to defend their rights It is, therefore, not enough to state simply that men and women have equal dignity and rights.
It is necessary that this be reflected in concrete decisions, such as in laws, access to employment, education, social and political responsibilities, and the way society listens to and values women's contributions.
As long as this gap persists, we cannot say that society truly and fully recognizes that women have the same dignity as men.
It is individuals that matter, each and every person, together with their families.
Social movements, communal ideologies, and grand political proclamations in favor of a population are worthless unless they lead to the flourishing of persons, men and women, with their inalienable rights.
Similarly, it is not enough to extol individual freedom or private enterprise if we then allow a multitude of people to continue living without decent work, protections or access to basic necessities.
The Church gratefully acknowledges that the movement toward the identification and proclamation of human rights is one of the most significant attempts to respond effectively to the inescapable demands of human dignity.
In this regard, Saint John Paul II stated that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations, on 10 December 1948, remains one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our time.
For this reason, from the Christian perspective, human rights are not an external addition to the person, but an expression of intrinsic human dignity, which the international community is called upon to protect and promote.
Human rights are inviolable, since they are inherent in the human person and in human dignity.
Precisely because they are grounded in the common dignity of every man and woman, they have practical consequences and legal effects, for it would be vain to proclaim human rights if, at the same time, everything were not done to ensure the duty of respecting them, respect by all, in all places and for all.
Among these rights, the first is the right to life, from conception to its natural end, without which it is impossible to exercise any other right.
When this fundamental right is denied, as in the cases of induced abortion, killing of the innocent and euthanasia, we are faced with choices that the Church considers gravely wrong.
Section 56 Looking at our own time, we cannot ignore the fact that the protection of human rights has been exposed to two particularly serious dangers.
The first is that these rights are declared in a purely formal sense, while technological progress continues alongside covert or overt violations of human dignity.
The second, which is in fact the root of the first, is the inability to recognise the foundation of their universality, since we have abandoned the search for the solid foundations sustaining our decisions and our laws.
He pointed out that when reason seriously examines human nature, it is capable of discovering values that apply to everyone, since they derive from human nature.
If this task of inquiry were abandoned, it is conceivable that rights considered untouchable today might, in the future, end up being questioned or denied by those in power, perhaps after having obtained only an apparent consensus from populations that are frightened or manipulated.
section 57 along with a greater awareness of the value of every human person and their rights recognition of minority rights has also grown yet there is still a long way to go to ensure that the rights of a great many namely women are equally and genuinely guaranteed throughout the world it is a fact that doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion mistreatment and violence since they are frequently less able to defend their rights It is, therefore, not enough to state simply that men and women have equal dignity and rights.
It is necessary that this be reflected in concrete decisions, such as in laws, access to employment, education, social and political responsibilities, and the way society listens to and values women's contributions.
As long as this gap persists, we cannot say that society truly and fully recognizes that women have the same dignity as men.
It is individuals that matter, each and every person, together with their families.
Social movements, communal ideologies, and grand political proclamations in favor of a population are worthless unless they lead to the flourishing of persons, men and women, with their inalienable rights.
Similarly, it is not enough to extol individual freedom or private enterprise if we then allow a multitude of people to continue living without decent work, protections or access to basic necessities.
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