CV NEWS FEED // The bishop of Arlington, Virginia announced that he and the priests of the diocese are going to study the new Vatican document that addresses issues such as abortion, gender ideology, and surrogacy, and will incorporate the document’s contents into upcoming preaching.
On April 8, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith issued a declaration titled “Dignitas Infinita,” or “On Human Dignity.” The declaration reaffirms Catholic Church teaching condemning abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy, sex-change surgery, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, among other issues.
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington issued a statement on April 9 expressing that he was grateful to receive the declaration, especially because it “offers a clear, timely response to critical challenges facing men, women, and families today.”
“With compassion, pastoral care, and a deep understanding of movements in our world today, the declaration clearly reminds us of the inherent, God-given dignity of every human person and outlines challenges we must address to ensure that dignity is upheld,” Bishop Burbidge wrote.
He praised the declaration for responding to issues of the modern world such as abortion and euthanasia by “[proposing] the Church’s beautiful, coherent, and consistent vision.”
Bishop Burbidge is the president of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the United States Council of Catholic Bishops. He has spoken against in vitro fertilization (IVF), abortion, and euthanasia.
In the statement, Bishop Burbidge also urged Catholics to “be vigilant against the grave violations of human dignity aggressively being perpetuated in our world” and to recall that every human person has dignity and value from conception until natural death.
“My brother priests and I will be studying the document and incorporating it into our preaching,” Bishop Burbidge announced:
I encourage all the faithful to accompany us in this pursuit. The declaration exhorts us to “work with all our might so that those who have done evil may repent and convert.”
Bishop Burbidge concluded with a prayer imploring the Holy Spirit to “grant us all zeal for souls.” He called for all the faithful to pray with him that God and the Blessed Mother will “guide us as we bring this truth, clothed in the love of Christ, to our troubled times.”
