Vatican document on human dignity rejects sex change, gender theory

Apr 08, 2024

Lauren Taylor Anchor/Reporter

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor/Reporter), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)

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The Vatican has unveiled the “Dignitas Infinita” — also recognized as the “Infinite Dignity” declaration — a culmination of five years’ work focusing on human dignity. The document outlines “grave violations” against human dignity, spanning a spectrum of issues including poverty, warfare, human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence against women, abortion, surrogacy, sex change, gender theory, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

According to the declaration, when addressing “gender theory,” the church emphasizes the respect for every individual’s dignity, irrespective of sexual orientation.

“Every person ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration,” the declaration said.

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It also underscores that human life, both physical and spiritual, is a divine gift to be acknowledged with gratitude and utilized for the greater good.

The document condemns the notion of personal self-determination advocated by gender theory, portraying it as an inclination toward self-deification, contrary to the gospel’s teachings.

The declaration reaffirms the church’s stance against sex change, emphasizing Pope Francis’ teaching on respecting the natural order of human beings.

Regarding abortion, the church maintains its longstanding opposition, asserting the intrinsic dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.

On the subject of surrogacy, the document emphasizes the violation of dignity for both the surrogate mother and the child, rejecting the idea of a “right to a child” that overlooks the child’s dignity as a gift of life.

The church denounced the exploitation of impoverished women in poorer countries by wealthy couples seeking surrogacy arrangements.

The declaration takes a firm stance against assisted suicide, advocating for accompanying individuals toward death without hastening it or facilitating any form of suicide. It underscores the prioritization of care and treatment for all, particularly the vulnerable elderly and sick, emphasizing life as a fundamental right to be embraced, not administered.

In the document’s conclusion, Pope Francis asserts an ongoing commitment to human rights, declaring that the declaration should serve as a blueprint, with human dignity at the core of every legal framework.

Tags: Abortion, Human Rights, Pope Francis, Religion, Religious Freedom, Sexual orientation, Vatican

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING –

THE VATICAN RELEASED THE “DIGNITAS INFINITA” – ALSO KNOWN AS THE “INFINITE DIGNITY” DECLARATION ON HUMAN DIGNITY.

THE DOCUMENT LISTS “GRAVE VIOLATIONS” AGAINST HUMAN DIGNITY – AND TOUCHES ON A WIDE ARRAY OF TOPICS – LIKE POVERTY, WAR, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SEXUAL ABUSE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, ABORTION, SURROGACY, SEX CHANGE, GENDER THEORY, EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE – AMONG OTHERS.

ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENT —

WHEN REFERENCING “GENDER THEORY” — “THE CHURCH WISHES, FIRST OF ALL, ‘TO REAFFIRM THAT EVERY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OUGHT TO BE RESPECTED IN HIS OR HER DIGNITY AND TREATED WITH CONSIDERATION…”

AND THAT “THE CHURCH RECALLS THAT HUMAN LIFE IN ALL ITS DIMENSIONS, BOTH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL, IS A GIFT FROM GOD. THIS GIFT IS TO BE ACCEPTED WITH GRATITUDE AND PLACED AT THE SERVICE OF GOOD. DESIRING A PERSONAL SELF-DETERMINATION, AS GENDER THEORY PRESCRIBES, APART FROM THIS FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH THAT HUMAN LIFE IS A GIFT, AMOUNTS TO A CONCESSION TO THE AGE-OLD TEMPTATION TO MAKE ONESELF GOD, ENTERING INTO COMPETITION WITH THE TRUE GOD OF LOVE REVEALED TO US IN THE GOSPEL.”

THE DECLARATION ALSO REAFFIRMS THE CHURCH’S REAFFIRMS “no” STANCE ON SEX CHANGE STATING “TEACHING ABOUT THE NEED TO RESPECT THE NATURAL ORDER OF THE HUMAN PERSON, POPE FRANCIS AFFIRMED THAT “CREATION IS PRIOR TO US AND MUST BE RECEIVED AS A GIFT. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE CALLED TO PROTECT OUR HUMANITY, AND THIS MEANS, IN THE FIRST PLACE, ACCEPTING IT AND RESPECTING IT AS IT WAS CREATED.”

THE CHURCH VISITED THE SEX CHANGE TOPIC IN 2019 – AND REJECTED THEN THAT PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE THEIR GENDER.

ON THE TOPIC OF ABORTION, THE DECLARATION STATES THE CHURCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST ABORTION “AND CONSISTENTLY REMINDS US THAT ‘THE DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS AN INTRINSIC CHARACTER AND IS VALID FROM THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION UNTIL NATURAL DEATH.’”

ON THE TOPIC OF SURROGACY –

THE DOCUMENT STATES SURROGACY VIOLATES THE DIGNITY OF BOTH THE WOMAN AND THE CHILD AND THAT “THE LEGITIMATE DESIRE TO HAVE A CHILD CANNOT BE TRANSFORMED INTO A ‘RIGHT TO A CHILD’ THAT FAILS TO RESPECT THE DIGNITY OF THAT CHILD AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE GIFT OF LIFE.”

THE CHURCH ALSO VOICED CONCERN OVER COUPLES IN WEALTHY COUNTRIES EXPLOITING WOMEN IN POORER COUNTRIES – BY HAVING IMPOVERISHED WOMEN BRING THEIR BABIES TO TERM.

THE DECLARATION ALSO TAKES A STANCE AGAINST ASSISTED SUICIDE STATING “WE MUST ACCOMPANY PEOPLE TOWARDS DEATH, BUT NOT PROVOKE DEATH OR FACILITATE ANY FORM OF SUICIDE. REMEMBER THAT THE RIGHT TO CARE AND TREATMENT FOR ALL MUST ALWAYS BE PRIORITIZED SO THAT THE WEAKEST, PARTICULARLY THE ELDERLY AND THE SICK, ARE NEVER REJECTED. LIFE IS A RIGHT, NOT DEATH, WHICH MUST BE WELCOMED, NOT ADMINISTERED. AND THIS ETHICAL PRINCIPLE CONCERNS EVERYONE, NOT JUST CHRISTIANS OR BELIEVERS.”

AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE DOCUMENT –

POPE FRANCIS REAFFIRMS “THE COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS IS NEVER FINISHED!” THIS DECLARATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MASTER PLAN – AND THAT HUMAN DIGNITY SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF EVERY LEGAL SYSTEM.