Magnifica Humanitas §54

⁵⁴ The Church gratefully acknowledges that “the movement toward the identification and proclamation of human rights is one of the most significant attempts to respond effectively to the inescapable demands of human dignity.” In this regard, Saint John Paul II stated that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , proclaimed by the United Nations on 10 December 1948, remains one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our time. It is “a milestone on the long and difficult path of the human race.” For this reason, from the Christian perspective, human rights are not an external addition to the person, but an expression of intrinsic human dignity, which the international community is called to protect and promote.