Transcendent Paradoxes: Unraveling the Heretical Threads of Infinite Dignity

The Vatican released a new declaration Monday, timed on the Feast of the Annunciation.  The document, Dignitas Infinita, or Dignity Infinite is filled with many good things, but also many deeply concerning statements.  As Anthony Stein put it: “This is a Peronist document, and what do Peronists do?  They play both sides of the game. […] There are actually some evil things in this document.” 

With all due charity, several experts point out major heresies in the document. CUP believes the intent of the document is to emphasize and explain the profound reality that every human person possesses dignity. Yet there are troublesome parts of the document, most especially the claim of “infinite dignity.” We will get to that point after we summarize the key points of the document.

It should give us pause when Cardinal Fernandez introduces the Declaration on Human Dignity by stating that religious submission of the intellect and will must be given to doctrine which the Supreme Pontiff issues.  This statement was made without anyone asking or challenging him on such doctrine.  He clearly came prepared for a fight on the Declaration.  During that same press conference, Cardinal Fernandez called for a change to Catholic condemnation of homosexuality as intrinsically disordered (this will be important as we later discuss).
 

What is very troubling is the lack of scriptural references contained within the document and using as its foundation a secular UN definition of human dignity.  As you can see from this chart, the majority of citation sources used in the document were from Pope Francis himself:

What follows are the major violations of dignity cited in the Declaration of Human Dignity:

Grave Violations of Dignity

The document mentions grave violations of dignity, reasserting the teachings from Vatican Council II:

• all offenses against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and willful suicide
• mutilation, physical and mental torture, undue psychological pressure
• subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children, degrading working conditions
• the firm rejection of the death penalty
• the dignity of those who are incarcerated, who often must live in undignified conditions.
• For those guilty of serious crimes—the practice of torture completely contradicts the dignity that is proper to every human being.

Other grave violations of dignity elaborated on in the document include:

• Poverty: Unequal wealth distribution fuels the “Drama of Poverty.” Rich and poor countries alike face new forms of poverty. Reducing labor costs without considering consequences perpetuates poverty. The loss of work and dignity associated with poverty is severe.
• War: War, including terrorism, racial or religious persecution, harms human dignity. All wars contradict dignity and exacerbate problems.
• Migrants: Migrants suffer multiple forms of poverty. Their dignity is denied in home countries, and their lives are at risk. In host countries, they often face exclusion and dehumanization.
• Human Trafficking: A vile activity, human trafficking denies individual dignity. It includes organ trafficking, sexual exploitation, slave labor, drug trade, and terrorism. Combatting it is crucial.
• Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse leaves lasting wounds in victims’ human dignity. The Church works to combat all forms of abuse.
• Violence Against Women: Despite recognizing equal dignity in words, serious inequalities persist between women and men. Sexual violence, “hedonistic culture,” and coercive abortions harm women’s dignity.
• Abortion: The Church reaffirms the intrinsic dignity of every human being from conception until natural death. Abortion’s gravity is often obscured, but it remains a serious offense against life.
• Surrogacy: The Church opposes surrogacy, emphasizing that the unborn child’s life should not be suppressed or commodified. Surrogate motherhood violates the dignity of both the woman and the child. Every child has inalienable dignity from conception to adulthood.
• Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: These practices contradict the intrinsic dignity of the sick. Suffering does not diminish human dignity. Intentionally ending one’s life or assisting another’s suicide goes against dignity.
• Marginalization of People with Disabilities: Society’s attention to individual dignity is tested by how we care for the most disadvantaged. Vulnerability due to physical or mental limitations raises questions about human imperfection. Every human being derives dignity from being willed and loved by God.
• Gender Theory: Respect for every person’s dignity is essential. Gender theory, aiming to cancel differences and make everyone equal, is dangerous. Acknowledging sexual difference allows each person to discover their identity and dignity.
• Sex Change: The body shares in the dignity of “the image of God.” Sex-change interventions risk threatening the unique dignity received from conception. Medical procedures for genital abnormalities are distinct from sex changes.
• Digital Violence: Digital technologies can promote human dignity but also contribute to exploitation, exclusion, and violence. Cyberbullying, pornography, and exploitation occur online. Prioritizing honest communication and solidarity is crucial.

For a more in-depth summary of each of these grave violations against dignity click here.

Heresies Contained in the Declaration (According to Experts)

Infinite Dignity

From the renowned Catholic theologian,  Dr. Peter Kwasniewski:

“I will be studying the new document, but it’s rather depressing to see that it opens with a stupendous falsehood:

‘Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.’

No creature has an infinite dignity. That’s sheer balderdash. Only God has, or rather is, infinite dignity; and those who participate in Christ share, finitely, in His dignity as Son of God. Those who rebel against God lose the dignity He intended to give them, and while retaining a (finite) metaphysical dignity as rational animals, lack the dignity for which they were created. You might say, AT MOST, that Christian man possesses a “quasi-infinite” dignity through participation: something that goes beyond anything and everything else in the order of material creation.

Put differently, that which is “infinite” is literally that which has no limits or definition or end outside itself (that’s why God is rightly called infinite). But man’s dignity is very much tied to his nature and his end. If his dignity were truly infinite, then he would stand in no need of God or of redemption/salvation.

So, if that’s the document’s first line, one’s confidence deflates. […]   The only human person to whom one could (with any plausibility whatsoever) attribute an infinite dignity would be Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, on account of the grace and privilege of the Divine Maternity, with which her Immaculate Conception at the beginning of her life, and her Assumption at its end, are intimately bound up. […] one could also derive the conclusion that damnation is per se immoral, because it violates the infinite dignity of the rational creature. Indeed, why not simply say all human persons are already actually ordered to the beatific vision and will obtain it? If there were more room for them to grow in dignity (supernaturally), then their dignity wouldn’t already be infinite, would it?”

This led me to look up what St. Thomas Aquinas had to say about it:

“God alone is of infinite dignity, and so he alone, in the flesh assumed by him, could adequately satisfy for man, as has already been noted. Therefore, it was right for him to assume a human nature so constituted that he could suffer for man in it what man himself deserved to suffer on account of his sin, and thus offer satisfaction on man’s behalf.”    (Compendium of Theology, ch 226)

Further:
“The humanity of Christ, from the fact that it is united to the Godhead; and created happiness from the fact that it is the fruition of God; and the Blessed Virgin from the fact that she is the mother of God; have all a certain infinite dignity from the infinite good, which is God. And on this account there cannot be anything better than these; just as there cannot be anything better than God.”  (Summa Theologiae I q. 25 a. 6 ad 4)

Dignity Can Never Be Lost Heresy

From Dr. Peter Kwasniewski:
Dignitas Infinita, paragraph no. 19:
“By uniting himself with every human being through his Incarnation, Jesus Christ confirmed that each person possesses an immeasurable dignity simply by belonging to the human community; moreover, he affirmed that this dignity can never be lost.”

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, Q. 62, art. 2:
“By sinning man departs from the order of reason, and consequently falls away from human dignity, insofar as he is naturally free, and exists for himself, and he falls into the slavish state of the beasts.”

Also, both Pope Benedict and Pope St. John Paul II spoke of the possibility of losing dignity. The former said:  “God wants to give us himself and his Word. He knows that in distancing ourselves from him we will soon run into difficulty—like the Prodigal Son of the parable—and, especially, that we will lose our human dignity.” (1/8/2012, homily; see 8/15/22 homily, as well).

Sin destroys dignity. Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II underscores the consequences of sin—how it disrupts the natural order and diminishes human dignity.

Concerns with Future Use of “Infinite Dignity”

And we can only surmise that this foundational principle of infinite dignity where it can never be lost will be quoted subsequently whenever Pope Francis or his bishops wish to argue that the death penalty is per se immoral, or, for that matter, that laws against sodomy are immoral because they violate man’s infinite dignity.

Other Claims of Heresy

The Death Penalty
As Dr. Edward Feser, a renowned Catholic philosopher, pointed out:
the Declaration “makes an error of its own when it characterizes the death penalty as contrary to human dignity “regardless of the circumstances.” That is flatly incompatible with scripture and all previous papal teaching on the subject (including that of JP2, who allowed that there can be circumstances where the death penalty can be justifiable, even if he thought them rare). Some of those who acknowledge that what the document says about the death penalty is problematic.”

Padre Peregrino is a traditional Catholic blog authored by Father David Nix.  While he may not be a traditional academic theologian, his insights and teachings contribute to theological discussions.  In his latest blog,  Three Heresies in “Dignitas Infinita,” Fr. Nix noted the following errors with the Declaration:

Error 1: Misunderstanding Judgment Criteria
The document claims that the sole criterion for judgment is the good done to every human being, regardless of blood ties or religion. Specifically, it cites ministering to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, the sick, and the imprisoned as the basis for judgment.

Truth 1: While it is true that we will be judged based on how we treated the poor, asserting that the corporal works of mercy are the only criterion for our particular judgment is a heresy. This view aligns with the ancient heresy of Pelagianism, which suggests salvation through good works without grace.
The Bible emphasizes that salvation involves faith in Christ’s redemptive work and the purification by His blood. Additionally, Jesus Himself declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life. The assertion that one’s “religion” has no bearing on salvation contradicts the biblical teaching that the Church is the pillar and buttress of truth.

Error 2: Misunderstanding Religious Freedom
The document states that freedom is often obscured by various influences and that religious freedom must be reaffirmed.

Truth 2: While we have a right to pursue truth, God does not grant a “right” to worship false religions. God’s permissive will allows false religions for purposes of conversion or eternal punishment. The error lies in insisting that man can give other men rights to follow a false religion. This view is present in both Dignitatis Humanae and Dignitas Infinita.

Note: Resistance to this error does not imply forced conversions to Catholicism; the Magisterium has never promoted such actions.

Error 3: Misunderstanding Civil Authority and the Death Penalty
The document seems to downplay the role of civil authorities in administering justice, including the death penalty.

Truth 3: The Holy Spirit inspired the Old Testament to grant the death penalty to civil authorities. Even the New Testament acknowledges the authority of rulers to bear the sword and execute justice. While we recognize the dignity of every human person, this does not negate the legitimate use of the death penalty by civil authorities when necessary.

What is Missing From the Document?

Homosexual sin. The Church teaches that homosexual orientation and activity are “objectively disordered” and “gravely contrary to chastity.” This is because homosexual activity “thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living.” It prevents one’s “own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God.” There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved”.

The CDC reports the number of LGBTQ students went from 11 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2021.  We have a crisis on our hands of epic proportions.  Homosexual sin is one of four that calls out for vengeance from heaven and it is completely omitted from this Declaration.

Socialism/Marxism.  The Church has condemned the various forms of Socialism/Marxism, as they are opposed to the social doctrine of the Church. Marxism is viewed as an “atheistic and totalitarian form of socialism” that the Church rejects. Socialism perceives individuals merely as components of the social system, prioritizing the collective good over personal well-being. Moreover, socialism assumes that an individual’s welfare can be achieved without their voluntary choices, neglecting their unique responsibility for good and evil. By reducing social interactions to purely economic terms, socialism undermines human dignity. The Church’s subsidiarity principle cautions against excessive state interference, which can impede personal freedom and initiative. The Church opposes totalitarian socialist systems due to their overbearing state control.

Contraception:  From Voice of the Family (VoF): “In such a comprehensive document, it is strangely silent on the danger posed by the worldwide promotion of the contraceptive mentality, which separates sexual relations and procreation, as well as its logical extension, the homosexualist agenda. When many of the other pieces of the jigsaw of human dignity fall into place, this omission becomes glaringly obvious…. The failure of Cardinal Fernandez to identify this agenda as a grave threat to human dignity leaves the words of his landmark Declaration ringing as hollow as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Other Problems with the Document
Several violations against human dignity were extensively discussed, but the issue of sexual abuse within the Church was only briefly touched upon. This lack of attention is concerning. For true healing to occur for those affected by this traumatic abuse, the Church must thoroughly confront the historical problems that continue to affect it.

“The claim that the death penalty is an offence against ontological dignity contradicts divine Revelation and the constant teaching of the Church… Nor can human dignity be invoked to justify illegal immigration. Human dignity is the foundation of human rights but civil rights are conferred, suspended or withdrawn by the civil authorities. The right to citizenship, to welfare benefits and the right to vote, are not human rights but civil rights.  The Declaration fails to make a distinction between lawful immigration and illegal immigration. Such matters justly call for the attention and prudent intervention of governments and politicians, not only for the protection of the host community but for the safety of migrants themselves.” (VofF)

Summary
The document highlights social issues favored by Pope Francis such as migration, the climate crisis, and the death penalty, while omitting millennial crisis topics like homosexual sin and the spread of socialism in the U.S. and Europe, spreading from China and other nations, which is concerning. These are crimes against humanity, yet the Declaration remains silent on these matters.

Papal documents are no longer viewed in isolation but as interconnected messages, forming a mosaic of modernism. This Peronist approach in this Declaration incorporates some positive aspects to pacify the faithful. It is crucial now to delve deeper and recognize that our Catholic foundation is being shaken. How will you respond to this shift?