Abstract
The author examines the debate between proponents of individual rights and supporters of the concept of group or collective rights. He highlights the change of focus over the last few hundred years, and suggests that the most promising approach to the concept of group rights must involve a deeper appreciation of collective goods such as land, language and religious belonging. The strong opposition between the two sides of the debate, it is suggested, could be reconsidered in the light of the two-thousand-year Catholic tradition of dealing with the tension between diverse groups and individuals within the Church.
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