John XXIII and John Paul II: The Human Rights Popes

Gerald J. BEYER

Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Villanova University, Saint Augustine Center 229, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA , United States

Dorota CHABRAJSKA

John Paul II Institute, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland , Poland

Abstract

Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II stand among the most significant popes in the modern era. They were canonized for their many remarkable contributions to the Church and the world. Among them, John XXIII and John Paul II did more than any other popes to advance the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on human rights and to promote human rights globally. This article describes some of the major strands of their thought pertaining to human rights, emphasizing their seminal influences on the Catholic human rights tradition. It also underscores their distinctive philosophical and theological emphases. The article situates their human rights legacies within their particular contexts, highlighting the impact that each pope had on the global advancement of human rights in the twentieth century. The conclusion of article heuristically points to some ways that the legacies of John XXIII and John Paul II regarding human rights continue to challenge Catholics and all people of good will today. In many ways both the Church and the world have not yet fully realized the call of John XXIII and John Paul II to promote the human dignity and rights of all.

Keywords:

John XXIII, John Paul II, human rights, Catholic human rights theory, economic rights, workers’ rights, natural law and human rights, human dignity, religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, right to life, capital punishment