THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON AND HUMAN SOCIETY: A CONTEMPORARY READING OF VATICAN II’S PASTORAL CONSTITUTI ON «GAUDIUMET SPES» OF 1965

Abstract

This contribution discusses the topic of moral ethics as expounded by the Second Vatican Council in its dogmatic constitution «Gaudium et Spes». It off ers a consistent and detailed analysis of the principle ideas essential for the understanding of the Council’s doctrine on the dignity of the human person and which are based on a theological interpretation of the human person as a social being. In this way, the Council took an innovative stance on the subject of the human person in society and the Roman Catholic Church consequently for the fi rst time in history opened itself more completely to the exploration of a full range of social problems

Keywords

• Second Vatican Council
• moral doctrine
• dignity of the human person
• human rights