This paper examines how the Chilean Catholic Church articulated theological and ethical justifications for its public commitment to human rights during the military dictatorship, focusing on 1978 as a key moment of reflection and contestation. That year, declared the "Year of Human Rights" by the Archdiocese of Santiago, coincided with the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the fifteenth anniversary of Pacem in Terris, and culminated in an International Human Rights Symposium. Drawing on episcopal documents, pastoral statements, and theological interventions by key ecclesial actors, the paper argues that the Church's engagement with human rights cannot be explained solely as a pragmatic response to humanitarian emergencies. Instead, it must be understood as a historically situated reception of the Second Vatican Council and its Latin American interpretation at Medellín, articulated under conditions of political repression and internal ecclesial conflict. The analysis shows how Church leaders framed the defense of human dignity as an essential dimension of the Church's mission, grounding human rights in biblical anthropology, Catholic social teaching, and a conciliar ecclesiology that envisioned the Church as a pilgrim people responsible for the common good. By focusing on 1978 as a dense moment of theological production and public controversy, the paper highlights how theological discourse functioned both to legitimate ecclesial action in the public sphere and to sustain a non-partisan moral opposition to authoritarian rule. The paper contributes to broader debates on religion, human rights, and political ethics in Latin America.