The Vatican issued a harsh warning against ‘gender theory’ declaring sex-change surgery and surrogacy as serious threats to human dignity, according to a new document approved and signed by Pope Francis on March 25.
The paper named “Dignitas Inifinita,” which means infinite dignity, states that any attempt at hiding “the sexual difference between man and woman” should be rejected.
The paper refuted the notion that an individual’s gender may be changed
The paper refuted the notion that an individual’s gender may be changed, stating that God created man and woman to be physically unique and that they should not change that plan or try to “make oneself God.”
“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said.
On abortion, the document largely restates Catholic teachings on the matter, emphasizing that everyone is entitled to the same dignity regardless of circumstance. The pontiff’s previous declarations that the “defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of every other human right” are reaffirmed in this regard.
The document dismisses gender theory and condemns nations like Africa that criminalize homosexuality
Furthermore, the document examines surrogacy, arguing that it “violates” women’s and children’s dignity by reducing them to “means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others.” Pope Francis recently advocated for the prohibition of surrogacy.
It says that sexual difference is “the most beautiful and most powerful” thing to differentiate between living beings, but gender theory “intends to deny that difference.” The document suggests that medical intervention is permitted for those with “genital abnormalities,” but it strongly advises against sex change surgery since “the body serves as the living context in which the interiority of the soul unfolds and manifests itself.”
The document dismisses gender theory and condemns nations like Uganda that criminalize homosexuality, reinforcing Francis’ declaration that “being homosexual is not a crime.”
The Congregation for Catholic Education rejected the idea that people can choose or change their gender, prompting the Vatican to make a position statement on gender in 2019.
The document’s publication coincides with increasing opposition to transgender people, including in the United States, where Republican-led state legislatures plan to introduce new laws that would prohibit medical care for transgender youths and, in some cases, adults.