Dignitas Infinita: Insightful Quotes

Dignitas Infinita – on Human Dignity – is the most recent declaration promulgated by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF). 

The document’s opening paragraph begins by stating “every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.” 

Although human dignity is known by reason alone, the document establishes the fullness of the dignity in Christ Jesus.  The author notes “in the light of Revelation, the Church resolutely reiterates and confirms the ontological dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed in Jesus Christ.”

This “dignity of the human person was revealed in its fullness when the Father sent his Son, who assumed human existence to the full.” (§19)

Dignity of the human person, specifically ontological dignity, is a foundational principle in defending human rights, including, and most especially, that of the right to life.  Therefore, as we work to defend life from conception to natural death, and to uphold marriage and the family, this document has some welcome statements that reiterate the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church on selected anti-life issues of our times.

In the final paragraph, readers are assured that even “in the face of so many violations of human dignity that seriously threaten the future of the human family,” the Church will continue to encourage “the promotion of the dignity of every human person.” 

“The church does this with hope,” the document declares, “confident of the power that flows from the Risen Christ, who has fully revealed the integral dignity of every man and woman.” (§66)

The following are selected quotes from Dignitas Infinita.  To understand the full context of these quotations, please read the document here.

Inviolable Dignity

“Our dignity is bestowed upon us by God; it is neither claimed nor deserved. Every human being is loved and willed by God and, thus, has an inviolable dignity.” (§11)

“[D]ignity is intrinsic to the person: it is not conferred subsequently (a posteriori), it is prior to any recognition, and it cannot be lost. All human beings possess this same intrinsic dignity, regardless of whether or not they can express it in a suitable manner.” (§15)

The Indelible Image of God

The first conviction, drawn from Revelation, holds that the dignity of the human person comes from the love of the Creator, who has imprinted the indelible features of his image on every person (cf. Gen. 1:26)” (§18)

“[D]ignity refers not only to the soul but also to the person as an inseparable unity of body and soul.” (§18)

Christ Elevates Human Dignity

“The second conviction follows from the fact that the dignity of the human person was revealed in its fullness when the Father sent his Son, who assumed human existence to the full: “In the mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God confirmed the dignity of the body and soul which constitute the human being.”^[30] By uniting himself with every human being through his Incarnation, Jesus Christ confirmed that each person possesses an immeasurable dignity simply by belonging to the human community; moreover, he affirmed that this dignity can never be lost.” (§19)

^[30] Dignitatis Personae, §7

A Vocation to the Fullness of Dignity

“The third conviction concerns the ultimate destiny of human beings. After the Creation and the Incarnation, Christ’s Resurrection reveals a further aspect of human dignity. Indeed, “the dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God,”^[32] destined to last forever.” (§20)

^[32] Gaudium et Spes, §19

A Commitment to One’s Own Freedom

“Every individual possesses an inalienable and intrinsic dignity from the beginning of his or her existence as an irrevocable gift. However, the choice to express that dignity and manifest it to the full or to obscure it depends on each person’s free and responsible decision. Some Church Fathers, such as St. Irenaeus and St. John Damascene, distinguished between the “image” and “likeness” mentioned in Genesis (cf. 1:26). This allowed for a dynamic perspective on human dignity that understands that the image of God is entrusted to human freedom so that—under the guidance and action of the Spirit—the person’s likeness to God may grow and each person may attain their highest dignity.^[36] All people are called to manifest the ontological scope of their dignity on an existential and moral level as they, by their freedom, orient themselves toward the true good in response to God’s love… In light of this, one can understand how sin can wound and obscure human dignity, as it is an act contrary to that dignity; yet, sin can never cancel the fact that the human being is created in the image and likeness of God.” (§22)

^[36] Irenaeus of Lyons

Some Grave Violations of Human Dignity

Abortion

This section relies heavily on quotations from elsewhere including Saint John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae (§58) and another from the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (§213) by Pope Francis. 

“Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception.” (Evanglium Vitae, §58)

“[N]o word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.” (Evangelium Vitae, §58)

“[T]his defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be. Reason alone is sufficient to recognize the inviolable value of each single human life, but if we also look at the issue from the standpoint of faith, ‘every violation of the personal dignity of the human being cries out in vengeance to God and is an offense against the Creator of the individual.^’”  (Evangelii Gaudium, §213)

Surrogacy

“First and foremost, the practice of surrogacy violates the dignity of the child… Because of this unalienable dignity, the child has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver. Moreover, acknowledging the dignity of the human person also entails recognizing every dimension of the dignity of the conjugal union and of human procreation. Considering this, the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a “right to a child” that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life.” (§49)

“Surrogacy also violates the dignity of the woman, whether she is coerced into it or chooses to subject herself to it freely. For, in this practice, the woman is detached from the child growing in her and becomes a mere means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others.” (§50)

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

“[L]aws permitting euthanasia or assisted suicide are sometimes called “death with dignity acts.” With this, there is a widespread notion that euthanasia or assisted suicide is somehow consistent with respect for the dignity of the human person. However, in response to this, it must be strongly reiterated that suffering does not cause the sick to lose their dignity, which is intrinsically and inalienably their own. Instead, suffering can become an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of mutual belonging and gain greater awareness of the precious value of each person to the whole human family.” (§51)

Gender Theory

“Regarding gender theory, whose scientific coherence is the subject of considerable debate among experts, the Church recalls that human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God. This gift is to be accepted with gratitude and placed at the service of the good. Desiring a personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes, apart from this fundamental truth that human life is a gift, amounts to a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God, entering into competition with the true God of love revealed to us in the Gospel.” (§57)

“Another prominent aspect of gender theory is that it intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference. This foundational difference is not only the greatest imaginable difference but is also the most beautiful and most powerful of them. In the male-female couple, this difference achieves the most marvelous of reciprocities. It thus becomes the source of that miracle that never ceases to surprise us: the arrival of new human beings in the world.” (§58)

“Therefore, all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected.” (§59)

Sex Change

“The dignity of the body cannot be considered inferior to that of the person as such. The Catechism of the Catholic Church expressly invites us to recognize that “the human body shares in the dignity of ‘the image of God.’”^[106] Such a truth deserves to be remembered, especially when it comes to sex change, for humans are inseparably composed of both body and soul.” (§60)

^[106] Catechism of the Catholic Church, §364

“It is in the body that each person recognizes himself or herself as generated by others, and it is through their bodies that men and women can establish a loving relationship capable of generating other persons. Teaching about the need to respect the natural order of the human person, Pope Francis affirmed that “creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created.””^[109] (§60)

^[109] Amoris Laetitia, §56

“Even today, in the face of so many violations of human dignity that seriously threaten the future of the human family, the Church encourages the promotion of the dignity of every human person, regardless of their physical, mental, cultural, social, and religious characteristics. The Church does this with hope, confident of the power that flows from the Risen Christ, who has fully revealed the integral dignity of every man and woman.” (n. 66)