rsons, the Holy Father has defined the fundamental institution of society as a "communio personarum".20 "The family is indeed—more than any other human reality—the place where an individual can exist ‘for himself' through the sincere gift of self. This is why it remains a social institution which neither can nor should be replaced: it is the ‘sanctuary of life'".21 Consequently, to promote this existential project in a human being means first of all to recognize his reality as a person and his innate dignity. To achieve this end, it is becoming increasingly necessary to give value to the family and to the different members who comprise it.
3. THE PERSON: HISHER DIGNITY AND RIGHTS
3.1. Dignity and Equality
18. The concept of the dignity of a human being must always be the key to interpreting the 1948 Declaration. This is mentioned in the first paragraph of the Preamble, taken up in the first article, and subsequently repeated throughout the whole Declaration. All the affirmations, principles and rights mentioned in the Declaration were written and must be interpreted in the light of the dignity of a human being.
19. The Declaration gathers up the fruits of humanity's historical heritage. Moreover, the Christian understanding of man makes it possible to arrive at a deeper foundation of this reality by making it known that man is the only being who has worth in himself and not only by reason of the species. Furthermore, man has been created in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:27) and thus endowed with an absolute value. The human creature is wanted and loved by God as an end in itself.22 Therefore, man is not an instrument, a means or something that can be manipulated.
20. The Universal Declaration begins by affirming that it recognizes the innate dignity of all the members of the human family as well as the equality and inalienability of their rights.23 It thereby records that this dignity is a reality that emanates from man's essence, i.e., from his nature. Therefore, this is a reflection of the substantial and spiritual reality of the human person and not a creation of the human will, a concession by public authorities, or a product of cultures or historical circumstances.
21. In the Declaration, the dignity of the human being is put in relation to the reason and conscience with which the human being is endowed 24 and thus to his free will. The Encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963) also expressly emphasizes this.25 In this way it is made clear that dignity is not a generic, a merely formal or an empty concept but a meaningful one, as the subsequent articles of the Declaration specify: that is, the dignity and the possibility of every real person to achieve hisher own personality and rights, not in an abstract way but concretely, as a woman or man, wife or husband, child or parent.
22. On the other hand, the Declaration affirms and recognizes the full equality of every person 26 and hence prohibits all forms of discrimination or limitations of one's rights on the basis of "race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status".27 This equality is also shown clearly by recognizing that every person is entitled to rights at every stage of hisher development and at every moment of hisher existence.
3.2. Every Human Being
23. Every human being possesses this dignity, as affirmed by the Declaration in which almost every article begins with expressions such as "every human being", "every member of the human species", "every human individual without any distinction", etc. The enumeration of the rights and duties which the Declaration includes thus offers both juridical and ethical guidelines that make it possible to focus on many human situations, both those which existed at the time the Declaration was written, and those brought about by the subsequent social changes and innovations introduced through the development of technology, the economy, and political institutions within States.
24. Everything that is stated about the dignity, rights and duties of the 