Human Dignity

Some Notes on the Concept of Dignity ¹

Being a person is not something added on; it is not a quality or characteristic of the human being: it is the very way in which a human being exists, the very essence of their being. Dignity is not tied to moral, physical, or intellectual qualities, but simply to the fact that the person “is”—to the fact that, as an individual of the human species, they occupy an absolutely special place in creation.

The Declaration of Human Rights did not stem from any specific philosophical or religious stance, but rather emerged in response to the great horrors of World War II. Since the articles of the Declaration make fairly precise prescriptions regarding the political system, it would not be logical—unless one wishes to fall into circular reasoning—to seek the foundation of the Declaration in the very political ideal it proposes. However, despite this form of “ideological neutrality,” even a first glance at the text reveals some of the document’s underlying assumptions.

The sea, with its multiple meanings, serves as both the focal point and the backdrop in the speech that Pope Leo XIV delivered at the Port of Arguineguín (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) on June 11, 2026. It was an intense, heartfelt speech, structured around three fundamental themes: the denunciation and condemnation of mafia networks and human traffickers; an appeal to politicians and the leaders of both the countries from which migrants depart and the host countries, urging them to make decisions that guarantee the right to migrate safely but also the right to remain in conditions of peace and development; a strong affirmation of the dignity of every migrant, of the many “wounded lives arriving from the sea, stripped of almost everything, but never, ever of their dignity.”[1]