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Pope Leo dedicated his Wednesday General Audience to the dignity of the human person, urging Christians to defend it in every circumstance with “the light and strength of the Gospel.”

Continuing his series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Pope said that recognition of fundamental human rights represents one of the most important achievements in human history. However, he warned, humanity’s journey towards the full recognition of human dignity remains incomplete, since old and new contradictions continue to obstruct it.

Quoting his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the age of Artificial Intelligence, the Pope stressed that every human being is “planned and willed by God” for communion with Him, with others and with creation.

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“Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made. Instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of His unfailing love.”

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Christ, he added, reveals the ultimate foundation of this dignity by revealing humanity to itself and making known to us our highest calling.

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