At Catholic Conference in Rome, Apostle Promotes Human Dignity

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At a university conference in Rome about human dignity, Elder D. Todd Christofferson focused his remarks on three key Catholic documents in the context of Christianity and a pluralistic society.

Speaking on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quoted extensively from “Dignitas Infinita” (a 2024 declaration on human dignity), “Dignitatis Humanae” (a 1965 treatise from Pope Paul VI on religious freedom) and “Rerum Novarum” (an 1891 message from Pope Leo XIII about the dignity of workers).

“As disciples of Christ, we have a solemn responsibility to advocate for human dignity, moral agency, and religious pluralism,” Elder Christofferson told his audience during a panel discussion at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. “I am deeply appreciative of the Catholic Church’s commitment to these concepts and for the shared values of our two churches.”

The conference was cosponsored by Brigham Young University’s International Center for Law and Religious Studies.

Dignitas Infinita

“Dignitas Infinita,” the subject of the conference, says that “every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.”

“This infinite dignity creates for each human person a responsibility to treat every other human person with love and respect,” Elder Christofferson said. “This is not an abstract duty. It is rooted in the person and example of Jesus Christ.”

Elder Christofferson shared Latter-day Saint teachings on this topic. He quoted the late President M. Russell Ballard, who said each person’s most important identity is that he or she is a child of God.

“Understanding this truth — really understanding it and embracing it — is life-changing,” President Ballard said in 2020. “It gives you an extraordinary identity that no one can ever take away from you. But more than that, it should give you an enormous feeling of value and a sense of your infinite worth.”

Elder Christofferson said the call of “Dignitas Infinita” to love God and live in peace with others resonates profoundly with him as a fellow follower of Jesus Christ.

“I am deeply grateful for this document and its assertion of gospel truths, which provide us with a reminder of the divinity of Christ and our responsibilities as His disciples,” Elder Christofferson said. “I am also grateful for this particular conception of human dignity, which among the many other conceptions, is clearly and profoundly centered not just on the truth that we are created in the image of God, but that Jesus Christ is our exemplar and our Redeemer.”

Dignitatis Humanae

The second document Elder Christofferson analyzed was “Dignitatis Humanae.” This is a “monumental achievement in the history of religious freedom,” he said.

“[This] is a significant theological exegesis of human dignity as the basis for the right to religious freedom and of the social duties we all have to protect and promote this sacred right,” the Apostle said. “‘Dignitatis Humanae’ importantly recognizes that the shared responsibility for promoting and preserving religious freedom lies with governments and individuals.”

One of the fruits of religious freedom is allowing people to exercise their moral agency, Elder Christofferson said. While both The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic Church understand that this means some people will choose other paths, both faiths also teach the need for civility and understanding toward the choices of others.

“‘Dignitatis Humane’ counsels us to seek and live divine truth, to encourage our governments to protect the inviolable right to religious freedom, and to deal ‘in justice and civility’ with our brothers and sisters, respecting the rights of all, and maximizing our duty to all,” Elder Christofferson said. “I join with Pope Paul VI in declaring that ‘in order that relationships of peace and harmony be established and maintained within the whole of mankind, it is necessary that religious freedom be everywhere provided with an effective constitutional guarantee and that respect be shown for the high duty and right of man freely to lead his religious life in society.’”

Rerum Novarum

The final document Elder Christofferson considered was “Rerum Novarum,” an 1891 pastoral letter from Pope Leo XIII on the rights and duties of capital and labor in response to debates of the time between socialists and capitalists.

The pope skillfully stayed above the partisan fray by focusing on principles of duty, labor, virtue and charity, Elder Christofferson said. He also noted how the pope emphasized “the inherent moral qualities of humans and the importance of treating all men with dignity.”

It is equally important today, Elder Christofferson said, to engage in issues while “refusing to align with the extremism of either side.” Faith leaders are a critical voice in public discussion, he added.

“Conflicts within societies across the world demand the attention of religious leaders,” Elder Christofferson said. “A focus on the shared dignity of all humans on all sides of all conflicts will lead us towards more peaceful, loving, and tolerant societies.”

Elder Christofferson then quoted Pope Leo XIII’s rhetorical question from the letter, “Would it not seem that, were society penetrated with ideas like these [from scripture], strife must quickly cease?”

In his concluding remarks, Elder Christofferson drew the attention of the Catholic conference attendees to recent comments about human dignity and peacemaking made by President Nelson in TIME magazine.

“Each of us has inherent worth and dignity. I believe we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father,” President Nelson wrote. “But no matter your religion or spirituality, recognizing the underlying truth beneath this belief that we all deserve dignity is liberating — it brings emotional, mental, and spiritual equilibrium. … A century of experience has taught me this with certainty: anger never persuades, hostility never heals, and contention never leads to lasting solutions. … If we embrace these eternal truths — honoring our own worth, treating others with dignity, and nurturing our families — our lives, and our world, will be steadier and more joyful.”

On behalf of President Nelson, Elder Christofferson offered condolences on the passing of Pope Francis. He also congratulated the Catholic Church on the election of Pope Leo XIV.

The Conference’s Purpose and Impact

The conference was a collaboration between three people: Arturo Bellocq, professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; Andrea Pin, professor of comparative public law at the University of Padua Law School; and Brett Scharffs, director of BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

Pin, a Catholic, was especially pleased when Scharffs, a Latter-day Saint, approached him to learn more about the 2024 document, “Dignitas Infinita.”

“[When he asked, I thought] it was a wonderful bridge,” Pin said. “Somebody outside my Church and outside the association that released the document said, ‘I’m interested in that, I think we can discuss it as friends and as scholars.’ I thought that human dignity was starting again to do its job.”

Bellocq affirmed the broad attention this topic has received, noting that “Dignitas Infinita” has “awakened so much interest in many fields” and is a “first step of an ongoing conversation.” This week’s conference was one way to start the dialogue.

“We will still have many differences in solving concrete social problems, but we as humans need to find common ground to be able to speak about these common themes,” Bellocq said. “The idea [of this conference] was actually to find common ground and to discuss to what extent the concept of human dignity is useful or can serve as a common ground to start talking about these problems in a constructive and objective way.”

Scharffs shared similar thoughts, praising the Catholic Church’s global leadership on human dignity.

“To be working together with them is so generative and so significant in building understanding and also collaboration,” Scharffs said. “Working with various partners in the Catholic Church makes all kinds of sense because they have a significant commitment to the principles of human dignity as well.”

Scharffs said focusing on human dignity is key because it helps different cultures understand the importance of religious freedom.

“If you care about human dignity, you get to religious freedom,” Scharffs said. “But in the Muslim world, for example, religious freedom might feel like a foreign concept, like a Western concept. But human dignity is a very important concept in the Quran. So, if you say, ‘let’s talk about human dignity,’ then you build a bridge that leads to conversations about religious freedom.”

In an interview after the conference, Elder Christofferson said the event will have positive effects in the months and years ahead.

“It’s like the stone dropped in the pond and has its ripples, continuing in many places over a great deal of time and affecting people who today may have no awareness of what's taking place,” the Apostle said. “I tried to emphasize that our infinite worth is also connected to the redemption of the human being by Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and what that means for our ultimate destiny. Our ultimate worth is connected to our ultimate destiny of immortality and eternal life. His grace and His atonement are key to the dignity, the worth that every soul has, regardless of where or when they live.”

Cardinal Koovakad

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While in Rome on Wednesday, September 24, Elder Christofferson met privately with His Eminence George Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Church.