The Holy See and International Legal Issues Concerning Children and the Family : With Particular Regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Population Conferences, and the 1983 Charter of the Rights of the Family

Tóth, Norbert and Vizi, Balázs (2025) The Holy See and International Legal Issues Concerning Children and the Family : With Particular Regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Population Conferences, and the 1983 Charter of the Rights of the Family. ACTA HUMANA: HUNGARIAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PUBLICATIONS, 13 (4). pp. 41-54. ISSN 0866-6628

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Abstract

The present article provides a brief overview of the Holy See’s position under international law with regard to the legal status and rights of the child, as well as the institution of the family. Our aim is to outline, in a rather schematic manner, the extent to which the Holy See has been able to assert its own approach within the relevant fields of international legal regulation. The Holy See in the 20th century, based on its social teachings, has developed a strong and consistent position at international level regarding the protection of human rights, with a particular focus on the rights of the child and the rights of the family. Even if the Holy See has never become a member of the United Nations and still today it maintains its observer status, it has been more and more active in contributing to international codification efforts in this field. The travaux préparatoires of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child show this active participation in law making clearly, but as this article shows, it could only have a very limited influence on the treaty.

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