If the Vatican’s recent declaration on human dignity,
Dignitas Infinita
,
clarifies anything, it would seem to be that the Catholic Church, at its highest level of teaching authority, has not yet succeeded in clearly articulating exactly what it means to attribute dignity to the human person. This is no minor problem. Recognition of human dignity, reflection on its meaning and requirements, lies at the heart of the troubled and vacillating relationship between the Church and liberal political order.