Fr. Z's Blog

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I was reading an article on the SSPX website on Religious Liberty last night. In it, they quoted Dignitatis Humanæ of the Second Vatican Council. Interestingly, the part the SSPX would particularly object to is missing on the Vatican’s website!

Here is the quote the Society gave:

“This right essentially means that all human beings must be immune from all coercion, both by individuals and by social groups and by any human authority whatsoever, so that in religious matters no one is forced to act against his conscience or prevented from acting, within just limits, according to his conscience, in private as well as in public, alone or together with others.”

And here is the Vatican’s English version of DH 2.

“This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.”

Interestingly, the German translation of DH 2 includes the highlighted bits:

“Diese Freiheit besteht darin, daß alle Menschen frei sein müssen von jedem Zwang sowohl von seiten Einzelner wie gesellschaftlicher Gruppen, wie jeglicher menschlichen Gewalt, so daß in religiösen Dingen niemand gezwungen wird, gegen sein Gewissen zu handeln, noch daran gehindert wird, privat und öffentlich, als einzelner oder in Verbindung mit anderen – innerhalb der gebührenden Grenzen – nach seinem Gewissen zu handeln.”

I assume this is yet another case of the Vatican’s website not living up to standards one would expect, but it is a very curious omission, is it not? After all, the words are intermingled in the sentence and not a separate paragraph, so one would think their omission would be conscious.

Yes, that is curious indeed.  It seems that the problem is in the rendering, or non rendering, of Latin neque impediatur.

Here is the Latin:

2. Haec Vaticana Synodus declarat personam humanam ius habere ad libertatem religiosam. Huiusmodi libertas in eo consistit, quod omnes homines debent immunes esse a coercitione ex parte sive singulorum sive coetuum socialium et cuiusvis potestatis humanae, et ita quidem ut in re religiosa neque aliquis cogatur ad agendum contra suam conscientiam neque impediatur, quominus iuxta suam conscientiam agat privatim et publice, vel solus vel aliis consociatus, intra debitos limites. Insuper declarat ius ad libertatem religiosam esse revera fundatum in ipsa dignitate personae humanae, qualis et verbo Dei revelato et ipsa ratione cognoscitur (2). Hoc ius personae humanae ad libertatem religiosam in iuridica societatis ordinatione ita est agnoscendum, ut ius civile evadat.

Here is the Italian:

2. Questo Concilio Vaticano dichiara che la persona umana ha il diritto alla libertà religiosa. Il contenuto di una tale libertà è che gli esseri umani devono essere immuni dalla coercizione da parte dei singoli individui, di gruppi sociali e di qualsivoglia potere umano, così che in materia religiosa nessuno sia forzato ad agire contro la sua coscienza né sia impedito, entro debiti limiti, di agire in conformità ad essa: privatamente o pubblicamente, in forma individuale o associata. Inoltre dichiara che il diritto alla libertà religiosa si fonda realmente sulla stessa dignità della persona umana quale l’hanno fatta conoscere la parola di Dio rivelata e la stessa ragione (2). Questo diritto della persona umana alla libertà religiosa deve essere riconosciuto e sancito come diritto civile nell’ordinamento giuridico della società.

Curious indeed.