The event, themed “Human Dignity and Human Rights in the Teachings of Imam Reza (AS),†was held at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Vatican and brought together professors, researchers, and intellectuals in the fields of law, philosophy, theology, and the humanities to examine different dimensions of human dignity from the perspective of Imam Reza’s (AS) teachings.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Saeed Reza Ameli, secretary of the Sixth World Congress of Imam Reza (AS), referred to the more than four-decade history of the congress and stressed the need to connect the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) with real-world issues and contemporary global challenges.
Referring to crises such as war, injustice, hunger, environmental destruction, racial and religious discrimination, Islamophobia, and Iranophobia, Ameli said today's world needs a comprehensive framework more than ever to address common human challenges.
He also described justice as the foundation of all divine principles and emphasized that recognizing others and respecting the rights of all people, regardless of ethnic, religious, gender, and national differences, forms the basis for realizing human dignity and human rights.
Ameli also described dialogue among the Abrahamic religions as one of the most important ways to overcome the complex crises of the contemporary era.
Later in the meeting, Professor Gian Pietro Caliari, a scholar and researcher in law and philosophy, examined the theoretical foundations of human rights and explored the relationship between human rights, metaphysics, and theology.
Criticizing purely positivist approaches to human rights, he said removing ontological and metaphysical foundations from human rights theory exposes the concept to relativism and conflicting interpretations.
Pointing to contemporary human rights challenges, Caliari stressed that preserving the conceptual coherence of human rights requires answering fundamental questions about human nature, truth, and justice.
He also warned against turning human rights into an instrument in political and ideological disputes and emphasized the need to return to ethical and theological foundations in this field.
Francesco Nasini, an Italian researcher in analytics and data science in economics and management, highlighted faith and reason as two complementary pillars of human life.
He said that despite broad access to information, today's world suffers more than ever from a shortage of wisdom and insight.
Referring to the teachings of Imam Reza (AS), Nasini said knowledge goes beyond the accumulation of information and gains value only when it leads to ethical transformation, responsibility, and service to others.
He also described Imam Reza’s (AS)Â dialogue-centered approach as an important model for the contemporary world, saying genuine dialogue emerges when people recognize one another first and foremost as human beings despite differences in belief and culture.
Speakers at the event collectively emphasized that human dignity, justice, pursuit of truth, dialogue, and social responsibility are among the most important shared principles across major religious traditions and that the teachings of Imam Reza (AS) can provide an effective basis for expanding intercultural dialogue and offering ethical and humane responses to contemporary global challenges.
