Fundamental Rights of the Faithful and Human Rights

The article seeks to show to what extent the fundamental rights of the faithful constitute a significant argument for universal juridical culture, that is, an application of universal juridical principles, especially with regard to human rights. To this end, common grounds are identified between the field of the fundamental rights of the faithful and that of human rights: the natural dignity of the person elevated to the supernatural order, the application of a univocal concept of law. The possible reciprocal influences between the two spheres are also explored, highlighting the importance of an objective and ontological vision of law, such as that provided by canon law, for an adequate culture of human rights; and the need to strengthen in the Church the positive impulse that can come from this culture, particularly the achievements of juridical civilization in the procedural and penal spheres. The article concludes by highlighting the essence of right as a juridical good that is implicit in the notion of personal rights, and the distinction between concrete juridical goods and fundamental juridical goods of an abstract nature.