Recently, Pope Francis shared a new declaration entitled Dignitas Infinita. Prepared by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, the declaration focuses on the core principle of Catholic Social Teaching: the dignity of the human person. Dignitas Infinita reaffirms the church’s ancient stance that the human person is created in the image of God and is, therefore, bestowed with an inalienable and God-given dignity. 

Pope Francis reminds us that this dignity is not just a property of our souls, but that our bodies are also the image of the creator. In all our diversity and stages of life, in sickness, injury, or any other condition, we all hold “immeasurable value”. 

The declaration covers many of the challenges to the dignity of the human person in the modern world, among these are some that are familiar in previous documents: the scandal of poverty, the marginalization of the disabled, the plight of migrants and trafficked peoples, and the horror of war. Further topics are covered in depth, including the practice of surrogacy, the death penalty, and gender theory.

Francis stresses that our human life, in all its dimensions, is a gift from God to be accepted with gratitude, not to be rejected nor made into an object for others. We are all the constant recipients of God’s love, no matter how broken or unworthy we might feel.

If you have ever found yourself wondering about the Church’s position on some of today’s most problematic societal issues, please click here to read the declaration in full.