Vatican: Pope Francis has approved a new Vatican document claiming gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy are grave human rights violations. These practices are considered by the Vatican to be on par with abortion and euthanasia, as they go against God’s plan for human life.
The Vatican’s doctrine office released a 20-page declaration titled ‘Infinite Dignity’ that was in the works for five years. After significant revisions in recent months, it was endorsed by Pope Francis and he ordered its publication in March.
The document argues that the sex a person is born with is an ‘irrevocable gift’ from God, and any sex-change intervention risks threatening the unique dignity the person received from the moment of conception. According to the document, individuals who desire ‘personal self-determination, as gender theory prescribes,’ risk conceding ‘to the age-old temptation to make oneself God.’
The Roman Catholic Church opposes surrogacy, whether the woman is coerced or chooses it freely, as it considers it the exploitation of the child for the benefit of others. The church’s view on human dignity, including the exploitation of vulnerable people, is reflected in a recently issued document. This document was created over five years ago and came after Pope Francis allowed LGBTQ. Catholics to receive blessings from priests and transgender people to be baptized and act as godparents.
Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics instantly criticised the document as outdated, dangerous, and contradictory to the stated purpose of identifying the ‘infinite dignity’ of all of God’s children. They cautioned that the document could carry real-world implications for trans people, fueling anti-trans brutality and discrimination.
Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics, commented that, “While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honoured, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people.”
The existence of the document rumoured since 2019 was confirmed recently by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández. It was seen as a nod to conservatives after a fiercer document penned by him consenting blessings for same-sex couples flared criticism from conservative bishops worldwide, especially in Africa.
The new Vatican document condemns the imprisonment, torture, and deprivation of life due to sexual orientation. It also restates Catholic doctrine resisting abortion and euthanasia and spotlights Pope Francis’ worries about poverty, war, human trafficking, and forced migration.
The document also takes a new perspective against surrogacy, citing breaches of the surrogate mother and child’s dignity. The Vatican opposes surrogacy and emphasises the right of a child to maintain a fully human origin. They also reject the idea of people choosing or changing their genders and insist on the complementarity of male and female sex organs to create new life.
Pope Francis showed support for LGBTQ+ people but also criticised ‘gender theory’ as the ‘worst danger’ to humanity. He opposes the ‘ideological colonization’ of the West in the developing world, where Western gender and reproductive health ideas are imposed through development aid.
There is currently a growing opposition towards transgender individuals, particularly in the United States where Republican-led state legislatures are proposing new bills aimed at limiting medical care for transgender youths and adults. There are also bills under consideration that seek to regulate the use of pronouns, participation in sports teams, and access to bathrooms for transgender students. Certain books and school curriculums are also being scrutinised.
RECOMMENDED | UK government supports anti-LGBTQ+ organisations in Uganda; Report
