Human Dignity in Action: A Cry of Protest Against Injustice

Abstract

The text analyzes the evolution of the concept of human dignity within Catholic social ethics, highlighting its consolidation since the Second Vatican Council. The Church uses this term not through rigorous academic definitions, but as a cry of protest against the injustices and atrocities of the modern world. A clear case of this is Dignitatis Humanae, through which religious freedom became a fundamental pillar in defending the integrity of the individual against any human oppression. In this sense John Paul II affirmed that respect of religious freedom allows us to understand how other human rights are respected in a society, and furthermore, that the respect of religious freedom is essential for the common good.