Declaration ‘Dignitas Infinita’ on Human Dignity by Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Approved by ‘Pope’ Francis…

Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Declaration Dignitas Infinita
on Human Dignity

April 2, 2024

The Vatican’s text factory has just released another ‘magisterial’ document: Jorge Bergoglio (a.k.a. ‘Pope Francis’) has approved the publication of another declaration issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF). It bears the name Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”) and concerns itself with the topic of human dignity, specifically in view of various moral issues of our time. The last declaration issued by the DDF was Fiducia Supplicans, which permitted the administering of blessings on same-sex ‘couples’.

Dignitas Infinita, published on April 8 but dated April 2, 2024, is surprisingly short, at least judging by Bergoglian standards. In its English version, Dignitas Infinita comes in at a measly 11,730 words. It is divided into 66 numbered paragraphs, with a total of 116 footnotes. Not surprisingly, most of the footnotes reference the magisterium of the Vatican II Church. The body of the declaration is preceded by a 908-word preface of sorts, which, like the full text, was written by DDF prefect ‘Cardinal’ Victor Manuel Fernandez.

The word “sin” appears exactly twice in Dignitas Infinita, and in the following context: “In light of this, one can understand how sin can wound and obscure human dignity, as it is an act contrary to that dignity; yet, sin can never cancel the fact that the human being is created in the image and likeness of God” (par. 22).

So far, the Vatican has made the text of Dignitas Infinita available in the following languages:

• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in English
• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in Spanish
• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in French
• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in Italian
• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in German
• Full Text of Dignitas Infinita in Portuguese

The following is a list of links with initial coverage, summaries, and commentary on Dignitas Infinita by various sources:

• New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity (Vatican News)
• Cardinal Fernández’s Dignitas Infinita condemns abortion, gender theory but is silent on homosexuality (Life Site)
• Vatican touts ‘seamless garment’ of human dignity in new doc (Crux)
• Vatican Document on Human Dignity Fails LGBTQ+ People (New Ways Ministry)
• Vatican condemns surrogacy, gender-affirming surgery, gender theory in new doctrinal note (National Catholic Reporter)
• New Vatican doc ‘Dignitas Infinita’: What it says on gender theory, surrogacy, poverty and more (America)
• Vatican document on human dignity condemns gender transition, surrogacy, abortion (Vatican News Agency)
• Live updates: ‘Dignitas infinita’ emphasizes ‘ontological dignity’ (The Pillar)
• Three Heresies in “Dignitas Infinita” (Padre Peregrino)
• Vatican document on human dignity condemns gender transition, surrogacy, abortion (Catholic News Agency)
• US Catholic Pastoral Leaders Welcome Vatican Document On Human Dignity (OSV News)
• Response to DDF Declaration “Dignitas Infinita” – Part 1 (Where Peter Is)
• Vatican condemnation of “gender theory” a moment of whiplash for LGBTQ Catholics (Outreach)
• Dignitas Infinita and gender ideology (Catholic World Report)
• New Vatican document highlights Church’s ‘ever-greater understanding of human dignity’ (Catholic World Report)
• Dignitas Infinita: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (One Peter Five)
• Dignitas Infinita: On Unbridled Humanism (aka Catholic)
• New Vatican document shows pope’s “unique” approach to issues of human dignity, says moral theologian (La Croix International)
• Vatican issues new document on threats to human dignity (La Croix International)
• Dignitas infinita, a superficial document and some serious errors (New Daily Compass)
• ‘Dignitas Infinita’ is clear: Human dignity is under threat—and Catholics are called to action (America)
• The Dignity of the Devil: New Cardinal Fernandez Document is Heretical and Satanic (The Kennedy Report)
• Vatican calls for proactive defense of human dignity in digital realm (Catholic News Service)
• 60 Years After the Council, Will Catholics Reject the Unholy Errors of Tucho’s Dignitas Infinita? (The Remnant)
• Dignitas infinita and finite weirdness (Catholic World Report)
• ‘Dignitas Infinita’ is a commendable rebuttal to secular human rights manipulation – but that won’t stop the declaration being used by its antagonists to create more waffle (Catholic Herald)
• Death penalty, contradiction passed off as development (New Daily Compass)
• Vatican’s ‘Dignitas Infinita’ Draws ‘Clear Line’ on Gender Theory, Receives Widespread Praise (National Catholic Register)
• The Strawman of “Gender Theory” in the Vatican’s New Document (New Ways Ministry)
• What Transgender Catholics and Their Allies Are Saying About “Dignitas Infinita” (New Ways Ministry)
• ‘Dignitas Infinita’ and the Roots of Human Dignity (National Catholic Register)
• Dignitas infinita: Between empty phrases and ideological blinkers (Katholisch.de)
• Why ‘Infinite Dignity’ falls short (Catholic Culture)
• Dignitas Infinita: Not a perfect text, but a strong one (Catholic Culture)
• A Dignity Still to be Determined (The Catholic Thing)
• Vatican document on human dignity establishes theological guardrails (National Catholic Reporter)
• Dignitas Infinita: Lowering the Bar (One Peter Five)
• Dignitas infinita: rethinking human dignity (Voice of the Family)
• The right and wrong way to read the new Vatican doc on dignity (America)
• The Declaration Dignitas infinita and the Mystery of the Church in our time (Rorate Caeli)
• The missing lens and the key weakness of Dignitas Infinitas (Catholic World Report)
• Love and Dignity (Crisis Magazine)
• Three points to understand “Dignitas infinita” (Omnes)
• Two problems with Dignitas Infinita (Edward Feser)
• Francis’ Diabolical Human Dignity Declaration Sells The Church Out To Politicians (Return to Tradition)
• “Dignitas Infinita” as a Naturalistic Vision of Mankind (Rorate Caeli)
• Four Lingering Questions After ‘Dignitas Infinita’ (National Catholic Register)
• Transgender: Dignitas infinita turns human dignity on its head (Katholisch.de)
• Rome: A New Declaration from the DDF (FSSPX News)
• What’s Right about ‘Infinite Dignity’ (The Catholic Thing)
• Catholic Priest vs Dignitas infinita: “Infinite dignity” makes no sense! (The Remnant)
• Tucho Fernandez Strikes Again (The Wanderer)
• Divine dignity alone is strictly infinite (Rorate Caeli)
• Dignitas Infinita: Strengths and Ambiguities (Catholic World Report)
• Is Man’s Dignity “Infinite”? Or, How Not to Write an Opening Sentence (Tradition & Sanity)
• Victor Manuel Fernandez’s Anthropocentric Decree on Human Dignity: An Overview (Christ or Chaos)
• Infinite Human Dignity? A Look at the Mixed Reactions to the Latest DDF Declaration (Novus Ordo Watch)
• Wait: Is human dignity NOT infinite? (Catholic Culture)
• The Religion of Humanity (The Thinking Housewife)
• What Is Humanity’s Infinite Dignity? (National Catholic Register)
• Victor Manuel Fernandez’s Anthropocentric Decree on Human Dignity, part two (Christ or Chaos)
• Dignitas Infinita and the Idolization of Man (Crisis Magazine)
• Victor Manuel Fernandez’s Anthropocentric Decree on Human Dignity, part three (Christ or Chaos)

Some background on the document can be found in the following links:

• What will the new DDF document say? (The Pillar)
• Cardinal Fernández’s highly anticipated text on human dignity to be released Monday (Life Site)
• Cardinal Fernandez gives long interview prior to new document on human dignity (Religion Digital)
• How Will Cardinal Fernández Influence the Vatican’s Gender Ideology Response? (National Catholic Register)
• View from the (journalistic) pew in Rome: Cardinal ‘Tucho’ Fernandez opens up on his doctrinal declarations (Catholic Herald)

The full Vatican press conference introducing Dignitas Infinita can be watched here (Italian):

Written information regarding the press conference is also available:

• Cardinal Fernández: Every single person has dignity (Vatican News)
• Cardinal Fernández calls for change to Catholic condemnation of homosexuality as ‘intrinsically disordered’ (Life Site)

We have run the text of Dignitas Infinita through a word count engine. According to it, the most frequently used keywords in the text are the following, together with the number of mentions:

• dignity (237)
• human (201)
• person (87)
• God (42)
• life (40)

For more information about the man who falsely claims to be the Pope of the Catholic Church (‘Pope Francis’), please see our topical page here.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0