Dying senator: Being called “dad” beats “senator” every time
A senator approaching death is frequently addressed as “dad” rather than by his official title. The article emphasizes the personal, familial side of the senator, showing how his role as father outweighs his political role. It includes reflections from family and colleagues on the emotional impact of his passing. The piece highlights the human aspect of public figures and the significance of personal relationships over formal titles.
about 23 hours ago
Ben Sasse, the former U.S. senator diagnosed with terminal cancer, used a recent 60 Minutes interview to stress that personal relationships and local community matter far more than political titles, and he offered a candid critique of the Senate’s current functioning and the nation’s political culture 1.
Sasse argues that the national party should be a secondary concern for citizens.
He describes today’s political landscape as “thin, shallow community” and urges people to prioritize their neighborhood, city hall, and state legislature 1.
His identification as a Republican stems from the belief that the “Lincoln‑Reagan continuum” best constrains a focus on Washington 1.
The former senator quit his term early, stating that being called “dad,” “mom,” “neighbor,” or “friend” is far more fulfilling than the honorific “senator.”
He warns that many public servants treat the title as the highest calling, which he sees as a deeper societal problem 1.
Sasse calls for a Senate that is “plodding, steady, boring, and trustworthy,” rejecting the current “Instagram‑like” sound‑bite culture 1.
He stresses the need for bipartisan work on long‑term issues such as national security, the future of work, and digital disruption—topics he says Congress largely ignores 1.
In a viral interview with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, Sasse expressed regret for not treating Sundays as distinct and for not living closer to his family 1.
His Calvinist Christian faith underpins his public reflections, linking personal humility with civic responsibility 1.
How Catholic doctrine informs dignity of personal versus official roles
Catholic doctrine treats personal dignity as something rooted in what a person is (image of God) and therefore in any case inalienable, while official roles (in Church or society) are dignified precisely because they exist for service, justice, and the common good—not because office makes someone “more human,” “more valuable,” or “more sacred.”
Catholic social teaching begins with a strong claim: every person is an “image of God” and therefore has an “irreducible dignity”—a “who” not a “what,” a value “never merely an instrument valued only for its utility.” This dignity is “possessed simply by virtue of being human,” and crucially, it “cannot be lost, forfeited, or justly taken away.”
This is also expressed in the Church’s anthropology in a way that clarifies what “person” and “dignity” mean:
So, when someone holds an official position, Catholic doctrine does not allow that office to become the measure of the person’s worth. Instead:
Catholic doctrine also refuses to reduce dignity to a static label. The Church distinguishes:
Related themes appear in teaching about human excellence and moral living: dignity is not only possessed; it is also something that can be unfolded or diminished through one’s choices and moral life—“true dignity and excellence… resides in moral living… in virtue.”
In other words, Catholic thought allows real differentiation in the realization of dignity, without undermining the claim that no one’s dignity can be erased by status.
Catholic doctrine therefore treats “official roles” differently than “personal dignity.” Authority has a true function and moral seriousness, but its legitimacy and dignity come from its relation to the common good and the moral order.
Vatican II teaches that the political community exists “for the sake of the common good,” and that there must be authority to direct energies toward it “as a moral force” appealing to freedom and responsibility, not as despotic domination.
It adds two particularly relevant points for your question:
So “office” is not an absolute. It is accountable to truth, justice, and moral law.
Likewise, Pope John Paul II connects public leadership with a service spirit and explicitly warns against temptations that distort authority—disloyalty, falsehood, waste of public funds for advantage of a few, and power sought “at any cost.” The exercise of political power must be shaped so it becomes “virtuous” in service to justice and the rights/duties of everyone.
Your question can be especially sensitive inside the Church. Catholic doctrine insists on a real hierarchy of functions—while also rejecting the idea that one’s dignity rises and falls with rank.
Pope Francis states the principle sharply: within the ecclesial body, “the diversity of charisms and ministries must not give rise… to privileged categories.” Viewing Christian life as “promotion” to climb above others is “not Christianity” but “pure paganism.”
He ties this directly to the Church’s teaching on equality of dignity:
So official roles (bishop, priest, deacon, etc.) involve a distinct service and responsibility, but they do not create a hierarchy of human dignity. Francis even challenges the mental habit: “Who has more dignity in the Church: the bishop, the priest? No… we are all Christians in the service of others.”
A related scholarly treatment (drawing on Church sources) explains that baptism grounds the laity’s dignity and vocation in ecclesial communion, and that while diversity exists, it does not dissolve the Church’s ordered structure—“within this diversity there is hierarchy.”
Putting these together: Catholic doctrine uses both ideas at once:
From these principles, Catholic doctrine implies several concrete norms for how official roles must function.
Catholic social and ecclesial teaching consistently links public life and Church mission to defending the dignity of the person. For example, John Paul II calls attention to Gaudium et Spes as grounding human dignity in creation “for its own sake,” then emphasizes that being “in Christ” elevates dignity further as child of God.
Similarly, the Church’s teaching on public responsibility notes that political life’s “continuous line of action” is the defense and promotion of justice (and justice includes education and moral force to foster the rights and duties rooted in personal dignity).
Pope Francis frames the spiritual danger as “climbing” and “dominion”—seeking superiority destroys harmony; the Christian vision is “service.”
He further warns that even verbal behavior can undermine people’s dignity and damage relationships in the Church.
In the same spirit, Pope Francis connects humility to the way Church leaders should live: they are called “to be humble labourers… to serve, not to be served.”
Since authority is ordered to moral limits and the common good, the Catholic view rejects the idea that an official act is automatically dignified merely because it comes from office. Vatican II explicitly describes the legitimacy of defending rights against public authority that oversteps competence.
Catholic doctrine therefore gives you a coherent framework:
If you want, you can apply this framework to a specific scenario (Church office, workplace leadership, or public office) and I can help you map the Catholic principles to that case.