Journal of Catholic Legal Studies Volume 45 Number 2 Volume 45, 2006, Number 2 Article 7 John Paul II and the Rule of Law: Bringing Order to International Disorder Rev. Robert John Araujo, S.J. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcls Part of the Catholic Studies Commons This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Catholic Legal Studies by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. JOHN PAUL II AND THE RULE OF LAW: BRINGING ORDER TO INTERNATIONAL DISORDER REVEREND ROBERT JOHN ARAUJO, S.J.t Within a year of his election to the Papacy, John Paul II addressed the Ninth World Conference on Law convened in Madrid, and announced to the participants and the rest of the world his views on the law and juridical institutions. In attendance at this conference were lawyers, judges, law professors, and students who had gathered to exchange perspectives on important legal issues. While those in attendance represented a wide variety of legal systems, they addressed many common problems that human beings encounter and attempt to solve through the rule of law. Regardless of the type of legal system from which each participant came, the Pope asserted that the underlying premises of the rule of law must be the same for all legal cultures. These universal premises can help overcome the limitations of self-interest so that the inherent dignity of each person may be respected.1 This is particularly true for fundamental human rights identified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which belong to everyone regardless of the legal culture in which they live.