Monday, January 16, 2012

Our "Unrepeatable and Inviolable Uniqueness"

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. . . The human person must always be understood in his[/her] unrepeatable and inviolable uniqueness. In fact, [he/she] exists above all as a subjective entity, as a center of consciousness and freedom, whose unique life experiences, comparable to those of no one else, underlie the inadmissibility of any attempt to reduce his[/her] status by forcing him[/her] into preconceived categories or power systems, whether ideological or otherwise. This entails above all the requirement not only of simple respect on the part of others, especially political and social institutions and their leaders with regard to every man and woman on the earth, but even more, this means that the primary commitment of each person towards others, and particularly of these same institutions, must be for the promotion and integral development of the person.

– Pope John Paul II
Excerpted from the "Compendium of the the Social Doctrine of the Church"
2004



Recommended Off-site Links:
Amendment Campaign Contrary to Church Moral Teaching – Paula Ruddy (The Progressive Catholic Voice, March 3, 2011).
“Marriage and the Common Good”: Washington Bishops, Washington Catholics – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, January 17, 2012).
Catholics for Marriage Equality MN


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Getting It Right
Celebrating Our Sanctifying Truth
Be Not Afraid, You Can Be Happy and Gay
Quote of the Day – June 23, 2011
Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"
The Many Manifestations of God’s Loving Embrace
A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality
Making Love, Giving Life
Catholic Church Can Overcome Fear of LGBT People
A Catholic Statement of Support for Marriage Equality
Tips on Speaking as a Catholic in Support of Marriage Equality

Image: Subjects and photographer unknown.


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