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Pope Leo XIV Urges Protection of Human Dignity
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of protecting human dignity during his Wednesday general audience, calling for a commitment to mutual care and solidarity.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square urged people to take responsibility for the dignity of each human person and to embrace an identity centered on the gift of self. He highlighted the need for solidarity and mutual care, emphasizing that reducing the body to an ‘object’ to be disposed of arbitrarily is always a denial of the dignity of the person.
The pontiff, continuing his catechetical cycle dedicated to the Second Vatican Council’s constitution Gaudium et Spes, explained that the infinite dignity of the human being is rooted in his identity as a creature made “‘to God’s image’ … capable of knowing and loving his Creator.” He noted that “the person always implies relationship, communion, and participation in relation to God and to others.”
Pope Leo XIV also recalled that the Church offers a clear contribution in this area by reaffirming that human dignity arises from the very being of the person, citing his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. He quoted Gaudium et Spes, saying, “All of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness.”
In his summary to Portuguese speakers, the pontiff stated, “It is sin, above all, that disfigures God’s image in the human being.” He emphasized the importance of recognizing that the human being is both body and soul together and that human dignity has a divine source, which can help humanity “avoid possible distortions” and “address the contradictions, both old and new.”
The pope concluded by saying, “May we therefore help each other to guard and defend our God-given dignity and journey together toward our heavenly homeland.” He encouraged Christians to help overcome the many distortions and lies about the true dignity of every human person and to promote and defend human life with the light and strength of the Gospel.
What's confirmed
- “This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each person: at the same time, it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still disfigure our perception of it and hinder its realization,” the pontiff said on Sept. 9.
- “All of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness,” he said, quoting Gaudium et Spes.
- “Reducing the body to an ‘object’ to be disposed of arbitrarily is always a denial of the dignity of the person,” he said.
- He explained that the infinite dignity of the human being is rooted in his identity as a creature made “‘to God’s image’ … capable of knowing and loving his Creator” and noted that “the person always implies relationship, communion, and participation in relation to God and to others.” Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile as crowds of pilgrims cheer during his Wednesday general audience on Sept.
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- “Created in God’s image, through Christ and for His sake, 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,” he said during his weekly general audience talk in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 9.
- The first chapter of the conciliar constitution, “ Gaudium et Spes,” underlined that the foundation and condition for the world’s most cherished values are rooted in the inherent and indelible dignity of the human person, Pope Leo said.
- “The Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, makes us free and constantly assures us of our dignity as children of God, delivering us from fear and guiding us towards the ultimate goal, that life in its fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us,” he said.