Odpovědnost za integritu lidských bytostí

Human persons were created in the image of God in order to enjoy personal communion with the triune God, and in order to exercise responsible stewardship of the universe. Responsible stewardship requires a deep respect for a person as an image of God. The creation of the world ex nihilo is the action of a personal God and the immediate creation of each human soul is the proof of a deep and intimate relationship of God with each human being. The ethical questions of organ transplants, surgery associated with mutilation, reproductive medicine, genetic engineering, gene therapy, human cloning, embryonic stem cells, futile therapy, euthanasia and assisted suicide must be resolved through the use of principles of totality and integrity, the principle of double effects, and the principle of proportionality. Human beings are called to participate in divine creativity while acknowledging their position as creatures.