Too Many Abstractions

The release of a new document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) always generates news, without much regard for how newsworthy the document actually turns out to be. In this case, the excitement was understandable but the document itself turned out to be underwhelming. Dignitas Infinita purports to be a wide-ranging outline of the concept of human dignity. The infinite dignity to which its title refers is the ontological dignity of humanity: as bearers of the imago Dei whose very being bespeaks the divine love that sustains us from moment to moment, each of us is infinitely and uniquely valuable. This is sound Catholic theology and good anthropology. Read Full Article »