Faculty of Theology of the Holy Cross and Brigham Young University (USA)
INFINITE DIGNITY, HUMAN FREEDOM AND THE PLACE OF LAW
Tuesday 23 September
The 2024 Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Dignitas Infinita is a powerful restatement of the importance of the dignity of human beings and a distillation of old and new implications of the concept, ranging from violence to digital technology. It draws on the contemporary debates on human dignity and the 1965 Vatican II Declaration Dignitatis Humanae to update the meaning of dignity in an environment of deep polarization, strained social relations, erosion of the notion of common good, nativism and identitarian narratives, and pervasive technological power. It magnifies the importance of the notion of dignity, showing how its theological roots provide a compass also to navigate contemporary challenges.
The program will use Dignitas Infinita as a springboard to investigate the extent to which dignity can protect our common humanity, reconcile estranged social factions, and encourage a healthy relationship between law, morality, and religion.
Speakers will address some of the most debated topics of today: how to make sense of dignity in pluralistic societies; the role of law in protecting human dignity; and how to reconcile the rights of the individual with the need for common good. They will engage in dialogue between different religious and secular traditions of thought to address these common human challenges in a constructive way.
PROGRAM
9:30 Introductory Remarks
Arturo Bellocq, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
Brett Scharffs, Brigham Young University
Andrea Pin, University of Padua
10:00 Dignitas infinita. A Christian proposal for a pluralist society
Riccardo Bollati, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
D. Todd Christofferson, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
11:20 Break
11:40 Common Good, Civic Virtues, and Strong Pluralism
Dominic Burbidge, University of Oxford
Fernando Simón Yarza, University of Navarra
13:00 Lunch Break
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
15:00 Legal perspectives. What is the meaning of human dignity in human rights?
Ann Power, Irish Court of Appeal
Jean-Pierre Schouppe, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
16:15 Break
16:30 Roundtable
Human Dignity in Action: Can a Concept Be a Game-Changer?
CHAIR: Andrea Pin, University of Padua
Diego Alonso-Lasheras, Pontifical Gregorian University
Leonardo De Chirico, Istituto di Formazione Evangelica
Jordi Pujol, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
Brett Scharffs, Brigham Young University
The entrance is free, with simultaneous translation into English and Italian.
The recording of the Seminar will be available on the University's YouTube channel a few days after.
Download flyer HERE.
Sezione:
