The Pope recalled that this dignity does not depend on abilities, wealth, social position or the decisions of each individual, but constitutes a gift from God that precedes any other consideration.
During the General Audience held this morning in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff continued his cycle of catechesis dedicated to the documents of the Second Vatican Council and, for the second consecutive week, focused on the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes. On this occasion he commented on numbers 12-22 to address “Human dignity: gift and responsibility.”
Below we reproduce in full the catechesis of Pope Leo XIV:
The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. IV. Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes (GS 12-22). 2. Human dignity: gift and responsibility
Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!
The conciliar Constitution Gaudium et spes (GS), in dedicating its first chapter to the dignity of the human person, emphasizes that this dignity is the foundation and condition of those “values that are most highly esteemed today,” yet they must not lose their connection with “their divine source,” lest they suffer possible distortions due to “the corruption of the human heart” (GS, 11).
The path that has brought to light the fundamental features and rights of human dignity certainly represents one of the most significant pages in human history. Nevertheless, the journey ahead is not finished and must confront both old and new contradictions that prevent its full realization.
The Church clearly offers her contribution, recalling that human dignity springs from the very being of the person. I have had occasion to reiterate this also in the recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas: “Every person is thought and willed by God to enter into a history of communion with Him, with others and with creation. Their dignity does not depend on the abilities they possess, on their wealth or the role they play, on the right or wrong decisions they make, but is a gift that precedes and surpasses them, placed by God as an expression of His unfailing love” (n. 50). The infinite dignity of the human being, therefore, is rooted in their identity as a creature made “in the image of God,” capable of knowing and loving their Creator, a project and gift of love that transcends all other created realities, which have been entrusted to their care “to govern them and use them for the glory of God” (GS, 12).
In faith we can understand the ultimate foundation of human dignity, for the Son, “by revealing the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to himself and discloses to him the sublimity of his vocation” (n. 22).
The person always implies relationship, communion, participation with respect to God and others; therefore, a filial relationship with God the Father and a fraternal relationship with Christ and with all people. It excludes self-referential closures. To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing in welcome, reciprocity and service.
This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each one; at the same time, it also requires solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still today distort its perception and hinder its realization. Indeed, because of decisions contrary to human dignity taken throughout history, “man is still divided within himself” and “the whole of human life, individual and collective, is a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness.” This fragile and limited condition, however, can be viewed with hope, because “the Lord Himself came to free and strengthen man, renewing him inwardly and casting out ‘the prince of this world’ (Jn 12:31), who held him in the slavery of sin” (GS, 13).
The Constitution Gaudium et spes, moreover, affirms that human dignity concerns the whole person and, therefore, dualistic views must be overcome: the human being is a “unity of soul and body.” Reducing the body to an “object” that can be arbitrarily disposed of is always a denial of the dignity of the person: “it is not lawful… to despise the bodily life of man,” and it is necessary “to consider one’s own body as good and worthy of honor, precisely because it has been created by God and is destined for resurrection on the last day,” taking care that it does not “become the slave of the perverse inclinations of the heart” (GS, 14), since we are all wounded by sin.
Finally, three are the most significant expressions of human dignity recalled by Gaudium et spes: intelligence, which makes the human being an insatiable seeker of truth (n. 15); conscience, through which one gives unity and meaning to one’s own life (n. 16); freedom, which makes one the responsible protagonist of one’s own decisions (n. 17). These are dimensions closely interrelated: it is in conscience that truth is recognized as such and freedom can experience it as its foundation and possibility. The Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, makes us free and constantly assures us of our dignity as children of God, freeing us from fear and guiding us toward the ultimate goal, that life in fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us: only in Him does the mystery of man find true light; from Him we receive light on the enigma of suffering and death, and with Him we go to meet the resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters, created in the image of God, through Christ and for Him, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always, with the light and strength of the Gospel.
Greetings
I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims and invite them to marvel at the human dignity received from the Creator. This dignity concerns the whole person, for the human being is a unity of body and soul. Becoming aware of their greatness, you will find the strength needed to defend and promote it in your respective spheres of life.
I bless you from the heart!
I extend a warm welcome to all English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines and the United States of America.
In particular, I renew with joy my welcome to the members of the Steering Committee of the Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation in the Arab World, present here today. I thank you for your cooperation with the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and I pray that your efforts to promote peaceful coexistence in the Arab region may truly bear much fruit.
Upon each of you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you all!
Dear brothers and sisters, I address a cordial greeting to the German-speaking pilgrims, in particular to the numerous participants in the pilgrimage of the choirs of the Diocese of Würzburg, accompanied by their bishop. Let us remember that to praise and glorify God is our highest vocation. May His praise always be in your mouth (cf. Ps 34:2)!
I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims. I invite you to revalue and promote, in yourselves and in others, the unique and indelible dignity you have received as beings created in the image of God and, even more, as redeemed by Christ. May the Lord bless you. Thank you very much.
I address my cordial greeting to Chinese-speaking persons. Dear brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit makes us free and guides us toward the ultimate goal, that life in fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us in the resurrection. I bless you from the heart.
I greet with joy all Portuguese-speaking pilgrims. Dear brothers and sisters, our world especially requires us to value the dignity of the person. It is above all sin that disfigures the image of God in man. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us promote and safeguard the dignity of every human being. May the Lord bless you!
I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful, in particular the members of the community “Joy in the Holy Spirit,” coming from Lebanon. God has created us in His image and has given us a unique and indelible dignity. Therefore, let us always commit ourselves to promoting and defending this dignity in the light of the Gospel. May the Lord bless you all and protect you always from every evil!
I greet with joy the Croatian pilgrims, in particular the faithful of the Military Ordinariate of Croatia, accompanied by the Military Ordinary Bishop, Monsignor Jure Bogdan, together with the priests. Dear friends, as you celebrate the jubilee of the foundation of the Military Ordinariate, give thanks to the Lord on this pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul for all the gifts you have received. As a great family of believers, show the world and the society in which you live, through your faith and your works, the face of the living Christ, who goes out to meet everyone who seeks Him with a sincere heart. May the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary accompany you always on your journey. I bless you all from the heart. Praised be Jesus and Mary!
I cordially greet the Polish faithful. In these days, during the harvest festival, giving thanks for the fruits of the earth, we praise the Creator with the psalmist: “The earth has yielded its fruit; God, our God, blesses us” (Ps 67:7). Let us entrust to the Lord the work of the farmers, thanks to whom we do not lack our daily bread. May Mary, the most beautiful among the flowers of the earth, protect your families and your fields! My blessing to all of you!
I extend my cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims.
In particular, I greet the newly confirmed of the Diocese of Forlì-Bertinoro, accompanied by the bishop, Monsignor Livio Corazza, together with their priests and catechists.
I affectionately receive the faithful of the pastoral unit of the parishes of the Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno, as well as the ecclesiastical assistants of the Foundation Aid to the Church in Need.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have been created in the image of God: let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending the dignity of children of God, with the light and strength of the Gospel.
My thoughts finally turn to the elderly, the young, the sick and the newly married. Yesterday we celebrated the liturgical feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; may her example and maternal intercession inspire and accompany your life.
My blessing to all!