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Ecumenical Patriarch: Human dignity cannot be added to or subtracted from by external factors
At the 2026 International Meeting for Peace in Assisi on October 27, 2026, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed what he called a fundamental subject: the God-given dignity of every human being.
He cited the Holy and Great Council of Crete (2016), which confesses that every human being, regardless of color, religion, race, gender, nationality, or language, is created in the image and likeness of God and enjoys equal rights in society.
Expanding on this, the Patriarch stressed that skin color, ethnic origin, language, religion, gender, or social status cannot add to or subtract from the dignity of a person created in God's image. He rooted this conviction in Scripture, citing Acts 17:26 where Paul says God made every nation from one blood, and Galatians 3:28 where Paul declares there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus.
The Patriarch noted that by affirming unity in Christ, the Apostle proclaimed a common dignity transcending worldly categories and hierarchies.
He said this common dignity originates in Christ, who opens his arms to all who come to him, never asking "Who are you?" but giving love to whoever seeks it, as shown in his words: "Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away" (John 6:37).
Referring to the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, and the Good Samaritan, the Patriarch said this Gospel openness finds its fulfillment on the Cross, where Christ stretches out his arms to embrace all humanity, fulfilling his words: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32), indicating the kind of death he would die (John 12:33).
In the Crucified One's open arms, God's love is revealed, a love without exclusion that calls every person across all boundaries into communion.
The Patriarch also stressed that recognizing innate human dignity must be shown in concrete action to be genuine. He pointed to the parable of the Last Judgment, where the single criterion is simple: giving food, water, clothing, visiting the sick or imprisoned. The Lord identifies with the hungry and the stranger without asking about their faith or origin, saying, "Whatever you did for one of these least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).
He then noted that Saint John sums up this service in the phrase "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and adds with severity that anyone who claims to love God while hating their brother or sister is a liar (1 John 4:20).
In light of these eternal truths, the Patriarch said the Orthodox Church embraces without hesitation the human rights language of the 1948 Universal Declaration: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." He added that this principle draws its power from the Church's understanding of the human person: Orthodox theology of the person and of deifying communion between God and humanity gives this language a solid foundation and inner depth, preventing it from becoming a mere assertion of an autonomous, self-sufficient individual.
Referring to the martyrdom of the Church of Constantinople through the ages, the Patriarch said their history teaches that a Church living as a minority learns the full value of religious freedom and advocates for it for others with the same determination as for itself. They defend the dignity of a refugee child as they do an elderly person, and show equal concern for someone of another faith or no faith at all, because in every person they recognize the same image of God.
He concluded that in a globalized world, which stirs enthusiasm in some and apprehension in others, the ecumenical vision of Orthodoxy offers a path to understanding and hope: it invites us to broaden our perspective to embrace the whole earth without losing sight of each individual human face.
Main points
- Human dignity is God-given and cannot be increased or decreased by any external factor such as race, gender, or social status.
- This dignity is grounded in Scripture and finds its fullest expression in Christ's embrace of all people on the Cross.
- Genuine recognition of human dignity requires concrete acts of mercy toward the needy, as taught in the parable of the Last Judgment.
- The Orthodox Church affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rooted in its theology of the person and deifying communion.
- The Church's history as a minority drives its advocacy for religious freedom and equal concern for every person, and its ecumenical vision offers hope in a globalized world.