The Vatican has declared that the concept of gender fluidity represents a ‘serious threat’ to human dignity, equating it with an age-old temptation to ‘make oneself God’. The declaration, titled ‘Dignitas infinita’ (Infinite Dignity), was released on Monday by the Vatican’s doctrinal office after five years of preparation and has been approved by Pope Francis.
The 20-page document reiterates the Catholic Church’s opposition to gender reassignment surgery, stating that such interventions risk threatening ‘the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception’. However, it makes a distinction for medical procedures addressing ‘genital abnormalities’ present at birth or developing later, which can be treated with healthcare professionals’ assistance.
The Vatican also reaffirmed its condemnation of surrogacy, calling it a ‘grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child’. The document emphasises that a child is always a gift and should never be the basis of a commercial contract.
Chief Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández said Pope Francis had requested the inclusion of issues such as poverty, migration, violence against women, human trafficking, and war in the updated assessment. The document calls for respect for gay people and denounces imprisonment, torture, and execution based solely on sexual orientation, noting that such practices occur in some places.
Fernández, appointed by Pope Francis last year to lead the doctrinal office, described anti-homosexuality laws as ‘a big problem’ and expressed pain over Catholics supporting them. The declaration also firmly restates the Church’s positions on abortion and euthanasia while strongly condemning femicide as a ‘global scandal’.
