The Vatican claims that gender-affirming surgery compromises a person's "unique dignity."
The proclamation, titled "Dignitas Inifinita" (Infinite Dignity), focuses on a number of issues that it deems to be dangers to human dignity, such as poverty, the death penalty, war, assisted suicide, abortion, sexual abuse, and mistreatment of women.
The Vatican doctrinal office released the document on Monday. It says that gender-affirming surgery and other attempts to hide "the sexual difference between man and woman" should be condemned. It goes on, "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 statement essentially restates Catholic doctrine on these subjects, emphasizing that every person is entitled to the same dignity regardless of their circumstances rather than focusing on any one issue, like abortion. The pontiff's previous statements that the "defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right" are firmly reiterated in regards to abortion.
In the past, the pope has been a vocal opponent of gender ideology, calling it "ugly" for erasing what he views as differences between men and women. Francis is quoted in the most recent Vatican declaration, which calls it "ideological colonization."
Gender theory "intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists," according to this statement.
Despite his criticism of gender theory, Francis offered pastoral assistance to Catholics who identify as transgender. A group of transgender Catholics from Torvaianica, south of Rome, have been meeting with the pope on a regular basis. They have been invited to lunch at the Vatican with 1,200 other marginalized and homeless people, and they have been given front row seats at one of these audiences.
The Vatican's doctrine office, which is currently headed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández of Argentina, a close ally of Francis, has also recently permitted transgender people to serve as witnesses at marriages and godparents. This is in contrast to a 2015 Vatican ruling that prohibited transgender people from serving as godparents.
There is a Catholic community that disagrees with the Vatican's critique of gender theory. One LGBTQ+ Catholic organization attacked the document, claiming it "fails terribly" since it grants transgender and non-binary individuals "limited" dignity.
Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry commented, "While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people."
The most recent Vatican declaration lists a number of "violations" of human dignity, citing the prevalence of anonymously "combed over" and exposed personal lives online as one example of these "violations."
It references the death penalty, which it claims "violates the inalienable dignity of every person" and which Francis has consistently denounced. Although some conservative Catholics have questioned this, the pope has modified Catholic teaching to declare the death sentence "inadmissible."
In addition, the text discusses surrogacy, claiming that it "violates" the woman's and the child's dignity by turning them into "means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others." Recently, Pope Francis advocated for the outlawing of surrogacy.
The document restated the church's opposition to euthanasia with regard to assisted dying. The text notes, "There is a widespread notion that assisted suicide or euthanasia is somehow consistent with respect for the dignity of the human person." But still... it
The Vatican stated that the 20-page paper had undergone numerous revisions to incorporate the pope's teachings on this subject as well as "grave violations of human dignity in our time." The document had been under production for five years.
The text was vehemently against the criminalization of homosexuality, a stance Francis took prior to his 2023 trip to Africa.
The statement said, "The fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good life solely because of their sexual orientation should be denounced as contrary to human dignity."
Regarding homosexuality, the cardinal stated that "even some Catholics" favor laws that make it illegal to be gay and expressed his surprise at reading a document from some Catholics endorsing such laws.
The most recent document was produced after Cardinal Fernández's department shocked the church by granting permission for same-sex couples to be blessed. He defended that document and insisted that a theology can grow and mature as he opened his Monday presentation at the Vatican.
More context has been added to this story.
No comments