Fr John Okoro Egbulefu CCE, Rome 8th August 2026, Feast of St. Dominic, Founder of the Order of Preachers

@1 The English noun ‘dignity’ comes from the Latin adjective ‘dignus/digna/dignum’, meaning ‘to be worthy’ (cf “Domine non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum” - “Lord, Inam not worthy that you enter under my roof”).

Thus ‘DIGNITY’ as a thing in the form of a statusquo, the statusquo of an existing being, the state In which a reality is or has found themselves, simply means ‘WORTHINESS’, while as a thing in the form of a concrete object ‘dignity’ means ’inherent/intrinsic/innate or inborn, Godgiven indispensable irrevocable inevitable or unavoidable, irremoveable uneschewable, inalienable, untouchable or sacrosanct and living - and, hence, respiring and corresponding as responsible response making, dynamic or movement of self makeable, growable or increaseable, multipliable, self reproductive - WORTH or ‘VALUE in general’ and ‘GOODNESS in particular as Suitability/Befittingness and, hence, Usefulness/Utility and Enjoyability and, hence, Desiderability’.

@2 On the extrahuman (human-divine) relational layer of it, the human dignity is a gift of God to ‘the human being’, ‘the existing as perceptible human being’, ‘the living as perceptive, movement-of-self making, respiring, growing, self-reproductive, human being’, ‘the intelligent living human being as the human spirit’, ’the human person as the human spirit capable of producing words that are intelligible to fellow spirits as to intelligent living beings: to fellow human spirits, to angelic spirits as fellow created spirits, and to the three divine spirits called the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who together created the human being in their image and resemblance (cf. Gen 1: 26.27).

@3 On the interhuman (human-human, thus social, comprising socio-cultural, socio-economic as productive and consumptive and distributive, and socio-political) relational layer of it, the human dignity descends as the logical conclusion from the two premises - or as the fruit of - i) man’s doing of the duties assigned to them by God, namely to subdue the earth and master the living animals moving in the air, on the ground, and in or on the waters (cf Gen 1:28b), and ii) man’s claiming of their inalienable Godgiven fragile rights that are prone to be suppressed or suspended, or be seized or stolen or snatched away or usurped, or be diverted unjustly to other humans or creatures, by fellow creatures or humans.

@4 On the intra-human (visible/material/mortal body versus invisibile/immaterial/immortal soul and spirit) relational layer of it,

1) the human dignity, in correspondence to the ‘container-content’ relationship between the containing body and the contained immortal soul and spirit as the two basic components of the human being, consists in the human being’s worthiness descending from man’s doing of the Godgiven duty to contain, hence to protect, defend, secure, others, and from man’s claiming of man’s Godgiven right to be contained, hence protected, defended, secured;

2) the human dignity, in correspondence to the ‘mortal tool/instrument - immortal Agent/Operator’ relationship between the mortal body and the immortal soul and spirit as the two basic components of the human being, consists in the human being’s worthiness descending from man’s doing of the Godgiven duty to empower and enliven others, and from man’s claiming of the human being’s Godgiven right to be empowered and enlivened by others.

@5 In sum: “The human dignity consists in man’s worthiness to be ‘appreciated, trusted, respected, loved’; ‘recognized/approved, supported, recommended, blessed’; ‘protected, defended, forgiven/pardoned, promoted/uplifted’; ‘celebrated, praised, exalted, crowned’; ‘admired, embraced, followed, imitated’. “ (Rev Prof John Okoro Egbulefu CCE, SITUATING THE TOPIC OF THE AGIDE SUMMER CONFERENCE, ASSISI 2026 “L’IDENTITA’ DEGLI ENTI ECCLESIASTICI TRA FORMAZIONE, GOVERNANCE E RESPONSABILITÀ. SERVIRE CON L’ESEMPIO” WITHIN THE FRAME OF THE NEW AND FIRST ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIV ‘HUMANITAS MAGNIFICA’ AND IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ONGOING SCIENTIFIC REFLECTIONS ON THE EXTENT AND LIMITS OF THE MAGNIFICENCE OF HUMANITY. Assisi, 30 Luglio 2026, page 1, #3a)