THE strong and clear challenge posed by Pope Leo XIV in his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity),” is declaring the sacred value of every human life. It’s a strong statement of moral value that asserts the dignity and rights of every person. It comes at a time when people, especially women and children, are being deprived of their humanity and treated as objects to be exploited and abused, their rights eroded or denied.