Catechism of the Catholic Church

"Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just some thing, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons."

"To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions they demand, is to fall into superstition."

"Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged."