Magnifica Humanitas – Part 3

This is the third part in a continuing series on Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas  The first article a general commentary on the encyclical.  The second article discussed the introduction and chapter one in more detail.  Today’s article will discuss chapter 2, “Foundations and Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church.” 

There are some people who see Catholic doctrine as unchanging, old, and outdated.  Pope Leo XIV provides what is meant to be as he writes in Magnifica Humanitas, “The Social Doctrine of the Church is a living reality, in dialogue with history, cultures and sciences.  At the same time, it enshrines a core set of unchanging truths” (46, emphasis added).  What does not change is what it means to be human and a child of God.  Human dignity belongs to all and life is a gift.  The greatest commandments to love God and to love our neighbor do not change.  The Ten Commandments do not change.  The world does change and with it, the ways in which we apply the unchanging truths adapt.  

With this in mind, Pope Leo writes, “In offering these reflections, my hope is, first and foremost, to help the lay faithful and people of goodwill rediscover their duty of implementing the above-mentioned principles in their daily lives, family relationships, work and involvement in society” (47, emphasis added).  Yes, Pope Leo referred to our duty.  We want rights for ourselves.  With our reception of these rights comes the duty to make sure everyone enjoys the same gifts.  If we are truly grateful for all that our Lord has given us, we will share what He has given us. 

Why?  Because we receive them as a gift that flows from God’s love for us.  When we receive his love, we are in turn called to share the love even when it requires sacrifice.  In fact, Pope Leo quotes from paragraph 24 in Gaudium et Spes that a person “can fully discover their true selves only in sincere self-giving” (48).  Why is sincere self-giving necessary?  We are created for love.  It is love that provides us with the motivation for sincere self-giving.  Without love of God and our neighbors, we might think only of ourselves.  We fail to “enter into the Trinitarian dynamic of love received and shared” (Pope Leo, 48).   

We are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27).  This is the source of our human dignity.  Pope Leo writes, “Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love.  For this reason, the human person always remains the “way for the Church” and the heart of every authentic path of integral human development” (50).  Our human dignity is a gift.  No person is defined solely what they can do for others.  Their human dignity is unchanged if one is born with a condition such as Down’s Syndrome.  Likewise, a person’s human dignity is not lost even if they become unable to work because of advanced age, ALS, or dementia, or any other illness. 

Does this mean one can just sit around and expect everything they need to be given to them?  In 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul teaches one should work for what they eat.  Our basic human dignity does not change but Pope Pope Leo writes of different types of dignity in paragraph 52: 

• Moral dignity is “the way in which a person directs his or her choices and actions.” 

• Social dignity refers to “a person’s living conditions and the concrete respect received from society.” 

• Existential dignity refers to the worth and value that a person thinks they have themselves. 

These three types of dignities can change.  It is one’s ontological dignity that is God given in their very existence.  “No sin, failure, humiliation or exclusion can diminish the profound value of a human life that God has willed and called into being” (52). 

Even the worst criminal does not lose their ontological dignity or their most basic human rights.  This does not mean that we ignore their crimes or their sins.  It does mean they must always be treated as human beings.   

Pope Leo then turns to some basic principles of Catholic Social Doctrine beginning with the common good.  To define the common good, Pope Leo turns to the definition provided by the Second Vatican Council, “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment fully and more easily” (Pope Leo, 60, Gaudium et Spes, 26).  The common good should not be confused with other forms of ethics like utilitarianism where one considers the greatest good for the greatest number.  The common good is more than merely a mathematical weighing of the good and the bad. 

One challenge today in achieving the common today is that it requires a “shared vision” (Pope Leo, 62) in a world where dialogue is lacking and self-interest is paramount.  Here Pope Leo writes of the state’s responsibility to support the common good and support a balance between “individual interests and the common good” (63). 

From the common good, Pope Leo turns to the principle of the universal destination of goods (65).  We must remember that all “the earth’s goods – soil, water, air, and natural resources – are given by God to the entire human family to sustain the lives of all, and that every person has an inherent right to the use of such goods, both now and in the future” (65, emphasis added).  No person has a right to consume more than they need if it will deprive others today and or in the future of what they need.  I.e. a wealthy person who can afford more does not have a right to consume more than their fair share.  This includes immaterial and cultural goods (Pope Leo, 65) and “new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure and data” (Pope Leo, 67).  This might sound like our Catholic Church rejects the concept of private property.  It does not (for more on our church’s understanding of private property see my article based on Fratelli Tutti, “The Right to Private Property and Loving Our Neighbor”). 

Next, Pope turns to the principle of subsidiarity (68).  This principle calls for social institutions to respect individuals and smaller social institutions such as the family and their rights to make decisions for themselves (68).  The state does not trump individuals or families.  In fact, Pope Leo writes, “It is the responsibility of the political community to create the conditions that allow individuals, families, associations and intermediary organizations to fulfill their mission in society, without being replaced or reduced to mere facilitators” (69). 

Pope Leo goes on to write that in the modern digital that the highest level is not the state “but rather major economic and technological actors that exercise de facto power over the conditions of everyday life” (71).  In other words, it can be that those who control the digital world have more influence than the state.  He later writes, “In this context, States and transnational institutions are called to ensure fair rules and effective safeguards” (72).   

It is here that Pope Leo turns to the principle of solidarity.  As individual persons created by God in his image, we are part of a “network of relationships” (73) just as the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit are one.  He continues, “Solidarity is expressed when each person, both individually and collectively, takes part in the life of the community – by staying informed, engaging with others, making their voice heard and contributing to public decisions and choices – while also assuming real responsibility so that the common good is achieved through shared decision-making” (73).  The speed of communication and the effects of one’s actions on others in the modern digital world only increase this (see Pope Leo, 74).  We are not a bunch of individuals, families, or nations.  We are one people united across the world where everyone has equal rights to what they need and to be treated with the human dignity they have been given by God. 

This is true in the natural world and it is true in today’s “digital ecosystem” (Pope Leo, 76).  There is a lot of information on the internet.  We must consider who that information belongs to and who is affected when it is shared, with or without the permission of the one the information is about. 

In consideration of solidarity, Pope Leo reminds us of the “preferential option for the poor” called for by Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis’ denouncing the modern “throw away culture” (78).  We must also consider social structures that contribute to continued inequalities rather than supporting equality and justice (Pope Leo, 79).  

As Pope Leo prepares to talk about the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) more specifically, he reminds us that everyone must have equal access to basic technologies and we must consider how data about individuals and groups is used (80).  Before turning to AI, he reminds us that integral human development must be considered a right and a duty, placing people at the center of our decisions (83).   

Just as important, he reminds that it is not just the secular world that must use Catholic Social Doctrine to evaluate its own actions.  Our Catholic Church needs to examine our ministries in light of Catholic Social Doctrine to evaluate if we are fulfilling the mission God has given it.   

Are you living in accord with these principles Pope Leo has put before us?  What is most important to you?  Material wealth?  Prestige?  Or people? 

I look forward to continuing to help us understand what Pope Leo offers us in Magnifica Humanitas. 

Peace, 

 Fr. Jeff 

Here are the links to other articles in this series:
General Comments
Introduction and Chapter One
Chapter Two “Foundations and Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church.”
Chapter Three “Technology and Dominance:  The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promises of AI.”
Chapter Four “Safeguarding Humanity at a Time of Transformation, Truth, Work, Freedom.“
Chapter Five “The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love”