The concept of human dignity as a basis for cooperation of the catholic church with state and public organizations

Abstract

The article investigates the understanding of the concept of human dignity in the Catholic social doctrine and secular legal declarations aimed at the protection of personality rights. It is shown that notwithstanding the essential basic prerequisites, the concept of human dignity is foundational for the solution of new social problems. Consequently, human dignity is a basis for a fruitful dialog between the Catholic Church and world in order to create the society of peace, respect and well-being. It is proved that the turn to the systematic use of human right language and the strategies of the protection of human dignity occurred during the Second Vatican Council. This process is a part of the anthropological turn of the Christian religion within the global transformations of religious worldview in the age of late modern and postmodernism. Refreshment of the social teaching of Catholicism occurs within the last encyclical “Fratelli tutti” by the Pope Francis. The principle of the absolute value of human dignity becomes primary for the social teaching of the “Fratelli tutti” encyclical by the Pope Francis. This principle is fully substantiated. The Pope recognize that the absoluteness of human dignity is not obvious for the contemporary social discourse, the personality is more and more reduced to the individual who can be manipulated destroying the natural context of life which for the individual have always been communities. The Pope provides arguments about the dignity of the individual, which are revealed through faith, love, reflection and social dialogue.