The Vatican's new document on threats to human dignity mostly reaffirms already stated Church teaching, but moral theologian Alain Thomasset says it also includes the unique contribution of Pope Francis -- especially regarding "attacks against human dignity in the tragedy of poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, and war".
Thomasset, a Jesuit priest like the pope, teaches moral theology at the Loyola Faculty of Theology in Paris. He says Dignitas infinita, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's new "declaration" on human dignity, is also important in the way it offers useful distinctions between several meanings of dignity.
He explained this in an interview with La Croix's Marguerite de Lasa:
La Croix: Is the purpose of Dignitas infinitasomething new? If so, what is its novelty, in your opinion?
Alain Thomasset: Overall, the text recalls the teaching of the Church since Vatican II, which makes respect for human dignity the fundamental principle of ethics, the foundation of human rights, and the condition for any just and peaceful society.
Further reading:Vatican issues new document on threats to human dignity
Its novelty lies in the clarification of the term “dignity”, aiming to avoid confusion while describing the various violations of this dignity.
Is this different from the approach of previous popes? What is Pope Francis' unique perspective?
The text is in line with previous popes (notably Evangelium vitae and Sollicitudo rei socialis by John Paul II, or Caritas in veritate by Benedict XVI), but we can recognize Pope Francis' uniqueness in the emphasis placed on attacks against human dignity in the tragedy of poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, and war. These are issues that the pope wanted to see added to the Dicastery's first draft, and they are given priority.
"While there has been a growing awareness of human dignity," as the text says, why is it necessary to reaffirm the "infinite", "inalienable", and "unconditional" dignity of every human being today?
The dignity of the human person is threatened in various ways and in new ways. Faced with discrimination or social rejection (such as the treatment of the disabled, elderly, babies, and the dying), it is necessary to recall that dignity is not linked to appearances or abilities but given with life. The distinction made in the document between "ontological dignity" (intrinsic, linked to the fact of existing) and "existential dignity" (the lived experience of individuals or the social appreciation of dignity), for example, helps to avoid confusion when speaking of "dying with dignity" and to avoid making it an argument often used for assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Further reading:"Human dignity must be at the center of every structure"
While the document addresses well-known violations of human dignity like violence, poverty, abortion, and war, new issues are also covered, notably with the questions raised by the digital world, sex change, and, more generally, legislation that tends to valorize subjective individual rights, separated from consideration of what is common to all humanity and the relational dimension of the person. The freedom to express this dignity is not self-referential and individualistic but devoted to serving others and the common good.
Could this document lead to subsequent changes in certain points of doctrine?
The distinctions made between different meanings of dignity (ontological, moral, social, and existential) are an interesting contribution that deserves to be extended. They complement the Church's doctrine to avoid language confusion, which is very common today.
Will the document encourage theologians to work on certain topics that are currently not well studied, such as digital violence, for example?
The field of digital violence is an original point from the document that deserves theological work: how does it modify our relationship to time, space, relationships, and the body?
Likewise, regarding sex changes and gender theory, how does one consider the real difficulties experienced by individuals while safeguarding the dignity of each one? How, also, does one consider the situation of hom*osexual individuals?
Further reading:Recognize human dignity in every person, says pope
On the other hand, I am surprised not to see issues related to artificial intelligence. Ecology is also barely addressed.
What do you think about the way the issue of abuse is treated in this text – is it too little, or is it already significant that the issue appears in a magisterial text of this type?
It is important that the Dicastery's document talks about abuse, since this attack on the dignity of individuals has occurred within the Church, and we still have difficulty grasping it. The text, while brief, rightly emphasizes that abuse causes lifelong wounds. It allows us to focus on the victims, whereas previously the Church's focus was mainly on the acts of the aggressor.
Further reading:In war, human dignity must be protected, pope tells military chaplains
The document's emphasis on the relational dimension of our freedom would also allow for a reformulation of sexual and family ethics in a direction that avoids undue idealization – a potential source of violence – and that values respect and justice in relationships.
