On the 77th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Human Dignity: Our Shared Foundation

Each year on December 10, the international community marks the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in the aftermath of the devastation of the Second World War. Since my youth, this text has spoken to me profoundly and posed a challenge, embodying the great lesson emerging from that conflict: modern nations recognized the need for a value greater than themselves—a transcendent value—the inherent dignity of every human person.

The Declaration is not a theological document. It imposes no particular belief. Yet it asserts that, regardless of our faith, convictions, or even lack thereof, there is a boundary no authority should ever cross: no human being may be reduced to a means to an end or treated as a problem to be eliminated. A person is never a mere financial cost or a figure in a column; each person is a face, a story, a soul.

And yet, I admit to being troubled by the climate of our times. In the debates on immigration—here at home and across the Western world—I hear echoes of intolerance. It has become too easy to say, “If things are going badly, it is because of immigrants.” If housing or services are lacking, newcomers are blamed. Pointing to “the other” is an old temptation. Each time we yield to it, we distance ourselves from the very heart of human rights.

I am also concerned by certain interpretations of secularism. If secularism becomes a kind of civic creed through which the State alone claims authority to define the ultimate meaning of our common life, it does not broaden freedom—it narrows it. True secularism is not the erasure of religious or philosophical convictions from public life; it is service to the whole of society in all its diversity of belief, including atheism. An open secularism is not threatened by religious symbols. It does not need to demean in order to protect.

Since 1948, human rights have enabled remarkable progress. Peoples have thrown off the yoke of dictatorship; women and men have seen their dignity more fully recognized; the right of association has allowed workers to organize. But it would be naïve to assume that history will continue to advance for the better without vigilance or effort. Respect for human dignity is not acquired once and for all. It must be chosen and nurtured continually if it is to grow.

As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, are we witnessing a weakening of the post-war modernity, or are we being called—urgently—to return to its noblest roots? I believe it is the latter. We are navigating a post-pandemic world marked by fatigue and anxiety, with a certain vertigo as we face the future. Fear is understandable, but it is a poor guide. It drives us inward, breeds suspicion and leads us to build walls instead of bridges.

What, then, should we do? Beyond today’s polarization, I offer an invitation: to undertake personal and collective self-reflection. Are we still faithful to the values we profess? Do we truly place the dignity of the person at the center of our social, economic, and political life? Do our personal and collective decisions genuinely uphold every individual’s right to life, freedom, and security?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers a clear, compelling vision for society: a humanity grounded not in fear of the other, but in the recognition of each person’s inherent dignity. Development can never be sustainable if people are sacrificed along the way.

On this International Human Rights Day, my hope is that our society may find the courage to regain its bearings, to step out of fear, and to rediscover—beyond our differences—the shared foundation that is the dignity of every human person. It is on this foundation that we can continue to build true peace and a future that excludes no one.

✠ Christian Lépine
Archbishop of Montreal

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