New King’s program takes holistic view of human rights New King’s program takes holistic view of human rights By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register April 16, 2021 On the one hand, human rights might seem obvious. There is surely a minimum of freedoms, responsibilities, care and solidarity owed to all humans just because they are human. On the other hand, is there anything Catholics and Canadians argue about more fervently? On euthanasia, abortion, gay rights, religious freedom and the history of abuse suffered by Indigenous Canadians our legal, historical, theological and social arguments on all sides are bolstered by claims and interpretations of fundamental human rights. Catholic contributions to the debate about human rights have been put in focus this month by Pope Francis’ April prayer intention for human rights defenders.