Dignity, freedom and human rights: A comparative analysis of the teachings of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches

Abstract

The social teachings of Christian churches answer a number of important questions of public life. Such issues include dignity, freedom, and human rights. The task of Church social teaching is to assess modern socially significant problems, state-church relations, and church-social issues and to formulate the official position of the Church on the challenges of modernity based on centuries-old Christian teachings and church traditions. The subject of this research is a comparative analysis of Catholic and Orthodox social teachings on the issue of granting a Christian personal rights and freedoms. The research methodology is based on a comparative analysis of church documents in cultural-historical and socio-political contexts. The work examines the history and development of legal doctrine in the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Particular attention is paid to an examination of official church documents, including papal encyclicals, documents of the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church, documents of social issues adopted at the Councils of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Based on the historical and ideological context of the two positions in relation to human rights, the work reveals the general provisions and differences in the Catholic and Orthodox understanding of this issue. The article argues that, despite the existing differences, these teachings are united by a common desire to bring a moral dimension and an orientation towards Christian values into public and political life.