Oration : respect for human dignity and the law

Abstract

When I came to choose the topic of this oration I was advised to select a theme which would be relevant to an audience of law and theology graduands. Of course, there are diverse aspects where law and theology converge. I still remember those days where as a law student I studied Philosophy of Law and came across the great contribution which theologians such as St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinas gave to the development of law. So the topic of this oration contains both theological and legal elements: it concerns respect for human dignity and law. There is no doubt that the Catholic Church's teachings on human dignity have been a catalyst for the development of law in this area. In this Oration, I will reflect upon two main points: the contribution of the Catholic Church's myriad teachings on human dignity and how the latter concept has been adopted as an essential feature of law - whether national, regional or international.