II. Equality and Differences Among Men
1934
Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls,
all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of
Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all
therefore enjoy an equal dignity.
1935
The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the
rights that flow from it:
Every form of social or
cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex,
race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and
eradicated as incompatible with God's design.40
1936
On coming into the world, man is not equipped with everything he needs for
developing his bodily and spiritual life. He needs others. Differences appear
tied to age, physical abilities, intellectual or moral aptitudes, the benefits
derived from social commerce, and the distribution of wealth.41 The
"talents" are not distributed equally.42
1937
These differences belong to God's plan, who wills that each receive what he
needs from others, and that those endowed with particular "talents"
share the benefits with those who need them. These differences encourage and
often oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods;
they foster the mutual enrichment of cultures:
I distribute the virtues quite
diversely; I do not give all of them to each person, but some to one, some to
others.... I shall give principally charity to one; justice to another;
humility to this one, a living faith to that one.... and so I have given many
gifts and graces, both spiritual and temporal, with such diversity that I have
not given everything to one single person, so that you may be constrained to
practice charity towards one another.... I have willed that one should need
another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and
gifts they have received from me.43
1938
There exist also sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women.
These are in open contradiction of the Gospel:
Their equal dignity as persons
demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions. Excessive
economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples of the one human
race is a source of scandal and militates against social justice, equity, human
dignity, as well as social and international peace.44
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