In April 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published a new declaration, Dignitas Infinita, on Human Dignity. Its opening paragraph reaffirms the Christian belief in the dignity of human life.
In the UK, Human Rights are protected by law and the Equality Act of 2010 brought together a list of nine Protected Characteristics, recognising that they represent areas in society where there is still significant prejudice and discrimination.
Dignitas Infinita serves as a timely reminder that:
This document aims to clarify what the Church means when she speaks about human dignity and highlights many misunderstandings that exist in our society. For example, some people suggest that a person only has dignity if they are capable of reasoning, and that our dignity and rights come from our capacity for knowledge and ability to exercise freedom of choice. Dignitas Infinita reminds us that not everyone may have these things but they still have human dignity because it is ‘intrinsic, [it] remains in all circumstances’ (DI, 24).
For Catholic education, the dignity of each person is a core value, not only found in many mission statements and policies but in the day-to-day practices of teachers across the country. We recognise that our value, and the consequential respect we must have for each other, is a gift from God. Each one of us is a person, uniquely created, chosen and loved by Him. Each one of us is worthy of not just being respected but also of being protected from unjust discrimination.
This also fits clearly with Ofsted’s guidance that:
The final section of Dignitas Infinita addresses violations of Human Dignity, including several that relate to Relationships, Health and Sex Education. The Dicastery notes that the issues addressed are not an exhaustive list but they aim to ‘draw attention to some grave violations of human dignity that are particularly relevant.’ (DI 35) and includes several topics addressed within Life to the Full Secondary, such as Abortion and Abuse.
The declaration also considers Gender Theory. Beginning by reaffirming the dignity of every person and condemning unjust discrimination they go on to express concerns about the inconsistencies found with Gender Theory. For Catholics, our identity is not something we create ourselves but a gift from God. Dignitas Infinita reminds us that the difference between sexes is a beautiful and powerful part of God’s creation, making it possible to create new life and affirms the Catholic belief that our biological sex and our gender cannot be separated.
Protected Characteristics and Life to the Full
One of our core values here at Ten Ten Resources is:
It is with this in mind that we have addressed the protected characteristics, within the design of all of our Life to the Full programmes, endeavouring to produce an inclusive programme that affirms the dignity of each individual. Our focus has been to present and explain legal rights, underline the fundamental dignity and worth of the person, and call out all unjust discrimination. At the same time, in age-appropriate ways, the programme articulates and commends the teaching of the Catholic Church. As we know, this teaching runs counter to certain beliefs associated with the Protected Characteristics, particularly in the areas of gender identity, sexuality and the rights of the unborn.
We recognise the challenge of teaching about the Protected Characteristics within the context of a Catholic School. With this in mind, we have provided a guidance document on Protected Characteristics in the Programme Coordinators section of our website for each of our programmes. We have developed this information further in our upcoming CPD Session on Protected Characteristics and Life to the Full.
In creating all our resources, we try to think about who we are communicating with. Many of the pupils and students in our Catholic schools will not be Catholic. Many of those will not be from practising Catholic families. All will be in some way shaped and influenced by the broader culture.
Dignitas Infinita reminds us of our need for Christ, reminding us of how ‘our free will often prefers evil over good. Thus human freedom, in turn, needs to be freed. ‘ DI 29 echoing the words of St Paul ‘For freedom then, Christ has set us free’ (Galatians 5:1). The work of promoting human dignity is not an easy one and can seem impossibly big. But the declaration concludes with this encouragement:
Protected Characteristics and Life to the Full
Why not join us for a CPD session on the Protected Characteristics? This session will explore how they can be taught within the context of Catholic education and shows how they are covered within the Life to the Full programmes.
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