Dignitas Personae: Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions

The dignity of a person must be recognised in every human being from conception to natural death. - Opening sentence.

This document is an ÔÇ£instructionÔÇØ from the Catholic ChurchÔÇÖs highest doctrinal agency, the VaticanÔÇÖs Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), applying timeless moral principles to some new issues and situations arising from biotechnology. It does not declare a new infallibly defined dogma, but is approved by Pope Benedict XVI and has his authority.

Like most Church teachings, its moral judgments are part of the ÔÇ£universal ordinary magisterium.ÔÇØ Catholics are called to inform their consciences with such teaching, adhering to it with ÔÇ£religious assentÔÇØ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 892).

The Latin title Dignitas Personae means ÔÇ£the dignity of a person.ÔÇØ All the conclusions of the document are based on the inherent dignity of each and every human person, from conception to natural death, and the need for all technology and other human activity to respect that dignity. While the Church must make a negative judgment about some misuses of technology, the Instruction explains: ÔÇ£Behind every ÔÇÿnoÔÇÖ in the difficult task of discerning between good and evil, there shines a great ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ to the recognition of the dignity and inalienable value of every single and unique human being called into existence.ÔÇØ

- From the US Bishops' Question and Answer page on Dignitatis Personae:

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=31057