Holy See urges renewed commitment to human dignity in fight against racism

Vatican News

The Holy See has reiterated its “full and firm condemnation of racism and racial discrimination in all their forms” during a commemorative meeting at the United Nations marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

In its statement, the Holy See delegation recalled that the General Assembly established the observance in 1966, recognising that racial discrimination “constitutes an offence against human dignity, a denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms and grave injustice.”

Sixty years later, the delegation noted that racism persists, in part due to “the absence of acknowledgement that the inherent dignity of each individual is not contingent upon utility or circumstance.”

While racism continues to appear in overt forms, the Holy See also pointed to more complex and less visible dynamics. It observed that the “pervasive scourge is operating through more subtle and complex mechanisms that often evade immediate recognition.”

The statement highlighted the digital sphere as a concrete example of these evolving challenges. It warned of the risks associated with artificial intelligence, noting that “a major challenge posed by these emerging systems is that of bias, which leads to acquiring and transmitting an altered perception of reality.”

The delegation explained that “AI models are shaped by the worldview of those who build them and can, in turn, impose these ways of thinking by reproducing stereotypes and prejudices present in the data they draw on.”

In response, the Holy See called for increased efforts in education, particularly in digital literacy, to raise awareness of how algorithms influence perceptions and affect human dignity.

Referring to the theme of the meeting, the delegation stated that “mobilising political will alone is insufficient, if it is not accompanied by a genuine commitment to recognising the equal dignity and rights of every person.”

Quoting Pope Leo XIV, the statement concluded by recalling that “human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, who, by calling them into existence out of love, has at the same time called them to love.”

The Holy See emphasised that translating this principle into policies and practices is essential to addressing the root causes of racism and strengthening what it described as “the bonds of our global family.”