“the Dignity of a Human Person” According to the Catholic Social Teaching

“The Dignity of a human person”
According to the Catholic Social Teaching
Dignity
 Latin dignitat-, dignitas, from dignus
 the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed
 formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language
According to the Church:
 All human beings, in as much as they are created in the image of God, have the dignity of a person.
A. The unity of the person
 “Man was created by God in unity of body and soul”
 “The person, including the body, is completely entrusted to himself, and it is in the unity of body and soul that the person is the subject of his own moral acts”
 Man is obliged to regard his body as good and honorable since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day
B. Openness to transcendence & uniqueness of the person
 Openness to transcendence belongs to the human person: man is open to the infinite and to all created beings
 Openness to transcendence belongs to the human person: man is open to the infinite and to all created beings
Unique and unrepeatable
 Man exists as a unique and unrepeatable being; he exists as an “I” capable of self-understanding, self-possession and self-determination.
Uniqueness of a man
 Man is not created according to the image of God only. He is conveyed with different abilities:
 Consciousness
 Personality
 Abstract Thinking
 Social Skills and Learning
 Moral Judgment
 Spirit
Respect for human dignity
 A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person
 Authentic social changes are effective and lasting only to the extent that they are based on resolute changes in personal conduct.
C. The Freedom of the Human Person
 Man can turn to good only in freedom, which God has given to him as one of the highest signs of his image
 God has willed that man remain ‘under the control of his own decisions
 The proper exercise of personal freedom requires specific conditions of an economic, social, juridical, political and cultural order that “are too often disregarded or violated”
The Equal Dignity of all People
 God shows no partiality, since all people have the same dignity as creatures made in his image and likeness
 Persons with disabilities are fully human subjects, with rights and duties
 The rights of persons with disabilities need to be promoted with effective and appropriate measures