Does Man Have Infinite Dignity?
By: Luke Parks from The Catholic Corner
In order to answer this question, we need to make a distinction between natural dignity and supernatural dignity. First, natural dignity stems from the fact that man is made in the image (imago) and likeness (similitudo) of God (cf. Genesis 1:26). Due to the gift of the imago Dei, man’s soul has an intellect that is capable of understanding the truth and a will capable of loving God. Because they are descended from Adam and Eve, all persons possess the imago Dei.
Due to the similitudo Dei, man is naturally endowed with an inclination to virtue—in simpler terms, a habit to do good. However, when the soul commits a sin, man’s similitudo Dei either decreases or is destroyed. A venial sin lessens it, whereas a mortal sin destroys it. As a result, man’s natural inclination to virtue becomes severely limited. Thus, the more that man sins against God, the more that he risks losing his natural dignity altogether. To quote Saint Thomas Aquinas: “By sinning man departs from the order of reason, and consequently falls away from the dignity of his manhood, insofar as he is naturally free”.[1]
Contrary to popular belief—especially among Catholics living in the postconciliar era—this is the very reason why the State has the authority to enforce the death penalty. According to the Angelic Doctor, if a man forfeits his natural dignity, in some cases “it may be good [for the State] to kill [he] who has sinned, even as it is to kill a beast” (emphasis added).[2] The reason that I say “in some cases” is that the State may not need to invoke the death penalty. However, “if a man be dangerous and infectious to the community” and there is no other way to prevent him from committing additional sins against others, then its use is justified.[3] For instance, John Wayne Gacy was an American mass-murderer in the 1970’s who sexually assaulted and murdered thirty-three young men. Consequently, the state of Illinois executed him in 1994. An argument can be made that such a man forfeited his natural dignity and could not be allowed to live any longer.
Thus, to state that the death penalty “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and the dignity of the human person” is contrary to both natural reason and Divine Revelation.[4] When Cain committed the first murder in the Book of Genesis by slaying his brother Abel, God told him the following: “For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning…Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:5-6; emphasis added). In light of this reality, how can Catholics say that the death penalty is contrary to natural dignity when the very reason that God mandated it in the first place is based upon the fact that man is made in the image and likeness of God? The Magisterium has always taught that, if man commits a grave crime and forfeits his similitudo Dei, then the State has the obligation to protect its citizens at all costs—regardless of his possession of the imago Dei.[5]
Second, supernatural dignity “derives from man’s actual knowledge and conformity with God in conformity with supernatural grace”.[6] Initially, Adam and Eve received sanctifying grace from God at their creation. Since they committed Original Sin, however, “death passed upon [them and] all men” (Romans 5:12). As a result, their descendants are not born with supernatural dignity. In order for them to regain it, they must be baptized by the Catholic Church and live continually in a state of grace by avoiding sin at all costs—especially mortal sin. Not only does mortal sin completely destroy the similitudo Dei, but man’s supernatural dignity, as well. The Sacrament of Penance is the only means by which God can restore sanctifying grace to souls.[7]
Unlike natural dignity, then, supernatural dignity is not shared by all. Consequently, to say that all men equally possess “infinite dignity” is false. For example, when Mother Teresa was still alive, I remember many practicing Catholics praising her holy and austere lifestyle. Since they were acutely aware of God’s presence, they could clearly perceive that she was on the way to sainthood—if not already there. If you were to make the claim that the supernatural dignity of Mao Zedong, a non-baptized atheist, was equal to Mother Teresa’s, very few Catholics would believe you. And rightfully so. Mao Zedong killed millions of people and founded Communist China. Mother Teresa sacrificed her entire life for God and for the poor. The two are in no way comparable.
In closing, the protestation that “every human person possesses an infinite dignity…which prevails in and beyond every circumstance” is false.[8] Although it is true that every man possesses the imago Dei, not all persons retain the similitudo Dei or acquire supernatural dignity throughout their lives. Hence, it is important to take these distinctions into account in order to understand the Church’s teaching on dignity.
By: Luke Parks of The Catholic Corner
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[1] Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, trans. Fr. Laurence Shapcote, O.P., ed. The Aquinas Institute (Emmaus Academic, 2018), q. 64, art. 2, ad. 3.
[2] Ibid.
[3] ST II-II, q. 64, a. 2, co.
[4] This error was added by Pope Francis into the Catechism in 2018 (cf. CCC 2067).
[5] “On Capital Punishment,” accessed March 29, 2025, https://tcreek.jimdofree.com/popes/.
[6] Don Pietro Leone, The Family Under Attack: A Philosophical and Theological Defense of Human Society (Loreto Publications, 2015), 13.
[7] God can restore sanctifying grace via perfect contrition, but this exception does not disprove the rule.
[8] Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith. Declaration on Human Dignity Dignitas Infinita (4 August 2024) §1, at The Holy See, https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/04/08/240408c.html.