‘Infinite Dignity’

By Tony Magliano
Making a Difference

The Catholic Church firmly teaches that the acknowledgement and protection of human dignity is an absolutely central part of our faith. So much so, that a new and highly authoritative Vatican document has recently been published to encourage Catholics, and all people of good will, to better understand just what human dignity is, and the serious moral responsibility we have to defend and nourish it.

Five years in the making, Infinite Dignity (“Dignitas Infinita”), a document produced by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – with careful review, editing and final approval by Pope Francis – is a challenging teaching gift, that if read and taken seriously by clergy and laity, will have a powerful, loving effect upon our increasingly secular cultures that often devalue the infinite dignity of various people – especially the poor and vulnerable – in various places, and in various circumstances. 

Infinite Dignity teaches that human beings possess a priceless worth referred to as dignity. And that “the dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently.

“This dignity of every human being can be understood as ‘infinite,’ as Pope St. John Paul II affirmed in a meeting for people living with various limitations or disabilities. He said this to show how human dignity transcends all outward appearances and specific aspects of people’s lives.” 

Infinite Dignity states that “Biblical revelation teaches that all human beings possess inherent dignity because they are created in the image and likeness of God: God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ … So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:26-27).

Pope Francis affirms that “the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

For almighty God revealed in the clearest ways the inestimable worth of humanity by humbly becoming one of us, walking with us, teaching us, suffering for us, dying for us, and rising from the dead for us! 

Now as we grow in our appreciation of our infinite dignity, we need to achieve a corresponding growth in our moral vision that sharply sees how the infinite dignity of countless fellow human beings is trampled upon. 

Infinite Dignity prophetically “presents some current and problematic situations in which the immense and inalienable dignity due to every human being is not sufficiently recognized. The Church sees the condemnation of these grave and current violations of human dignity as a necessary measure, for she sustains the deep conviction that we cannot separate faith from the defense of human dignity, evangelization from the promotion of a dignified life, and spirituality from a commitment to the dignity of every human being.”

Infinite Dignity goes on to list several areas where human dignity is gravely dishonored: poverty, war, the travail of migrants, human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence against women, abortion, surrogacy, euthanasia and assisted suicide, the marginalization of people with disabilities, gender theory, sex change, and digital violence. 

Please read the deeply inspiring and highly reasoned reflections on each of these issues. You’ll truly find that it is worth your time and effort (see: https://bit.ly/3Xu4tzl). 

Infinite Dignity highlights the injustice that in a society governed primarily by the criteria of market freedom and efficiency there are relatively no places respecting human dignity for a disabled person, for someone born in dire poverty, for those lacking a good education and with little access to adequate health care. Thus, in these countless unjust situations “fraternity will remain just another vague ideal.” 

Therefore, it is crucial to understand that “removing injustices promotes human freedom and dignity at every level of human endeavor. We must put human dignity back at the center and, on that pillar, build the alternative social structures we need.”

Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at [email protected].