Pope: All Christians must reaffirm dignity of every human being
By Christopher Wells
In a message to the XVII Inter-Christian Symposium, Pope Francis highlights a âfully-fledged revolutionâ in contemporary anthropology â a rethinking of human identity, manâs role in the world and society, and the transcendental vocation of every human being.
Added to foundational questions about human nature, the Pope continues, âthe way in which todayâs men and women understand the fundamental experiences of their existence, such as engendering, being born, and dying, is changing structurallyâ.
Such questions are being driven by the revolution of information technology, including development of artificial intelligence âand the incredible developments in the sciencesâ, the Pope notes.
An 'anthropological revolution'
The reality of this âanthropological revolutionâ, he says, demands âprofound reflection, capable of renewing the thought and the choices to be madeâ.
It is a challenge, he says, that âaffects all Christians, whatever Church they belong toâ. Congratulating the organizers of this yearâs Symposium, which focuses on the theme âWhat is man? in the time of anthropological mutationâ, the Holy Father says it is particularly interesting to see Catholics and Orthodox âpromoting this reflection togetherâ.
Affirming human dignity
In the face of contemporary questions about what it means to be human, Pope Francis insists that it is necessary for every Christian â âwhatever Church they belong toâ â to reaffirm the intrinsic dignity of every human being, no matter their socio-economic position or âexistential conditionsâ and regardless of whether or not they act in accordance with that dignity.
âThe defence of this dignity against very real threats such as poverty, war, exploitation and others is a common commitment for all Churches to work on togetherrâ, he says.
The Pope concludes his message with the assurance that he will accompany the work of the Symposium with his prayers, especially through the intercession of St Nicola Pellegrino, the 11th century patron saint of Trani, the Italian city where the Symposium is taking place from August 28-30.
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