Exiit qui seminat

On Monday, April 8th, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published a declaration entitled Dignitas infinita (translated as infinite dignity). In terms of Church documents, a declaration is simple statement of the law and is viewed in the light of already existing Church teaching. This document, in particular, upholds the innate dignity that every person possesses by being created by God. As the opening of the declaration states, "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."  However, due to a shift in social morays and ambiguities in terms of what others might define "human dignity" to mean, the declaration sets to reaffirm and clarify what true human dignity looks like. Dignitas infinita reminds us that our dignity is based on 4 important aspects: First and foremost, our dignity comes from the fact that a person "exists and is willed, created, and loved by God." Second, while we have free will and are able to act contrary to the will of God for our lives, when we do so, we act contrary to our dignity and "nature as creatures who are loved by God and called to love others." Third, the declaration speaks of the concept of social dignity, namely "the quality of a person's living conditions". There are many of our brothers and sisters who live in object poverty and do not even have the bare minimum required by innate human dignity and expresses our obligation, out of love, to help our brothers and sisters in need. The final aspect of human dignity is our "existential dignity".  It is "the type of dignity implied in the ever-increasing discussion about a 'dignified' life and one that is 'not dignified.' For instance, while some people may appear to lack nothing essential for life, for various reasons, they may still struggle to live with peace, joy, and hope. In other situations, the presence of serious illnesses, violent family environments, pathological addictions, and other hardships may drive people to experience their life conditions as 'undignified' vis-à-vis their perception of that ontological dignity that can never be obscured." Dignitas infinita reaffirms the Church's role to proclaim, promote and guarantee human dignity as the indelible image of God and speaks out against several grave violations of human dignity: 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. While several of these topics are difficult and emotionally charged, as well as evoking strong opinions in many, the Church urges us that "respect for the dignity of human persons beyond all circumstances be placed at the center of the commitment to the common good and at the center of every legal system." We, as a parish and a Church, are called to approach every person, regardless of their situation or status, with the same dignity and love, meeting them where they are in that moment, and leading them to where God and their innate value and worth call them to be.