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Pope Francis gave the Angelus blessing on April 7 in a studio overlooking St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
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In a new document signed and approved by Pope Francis, the Vatican has issued a strong warning against “gender theory,” stating that any “gender change intervention” risks threatening the “inherent dignity” of human beings. Stated.
The declaration, titled “Dignitas Ininfinita” (Infinite Dignity), focuses on a variety of perceived threats to human dignity, including poverty, the death penalty, war, assisted dying, abortion, sexual abuse, and abuse of women. is guessing.
The document, released Monday by the Vatican's Secretariat for Doctrine of the Faith, says attempts to obscure “sexual differences between men and women,” including gender reassignment surgery, should be rejected. “Gender reassignment interventions, in principle, risk threatening the unique dignity that a person has enjoyed from the moment of conception,” the report added.
Although this document is primarily a restatement of Catholic teaching on these topics, it does not seek to isolate one issue, such as abortion, but emphasizes the equal dignity of all people, regardless of their circumstances. It states that Regarding abortion, the Pope strongly reiterates what he has said in the past: “Protecting the life of the unborn child is inextricably linked to protecting all other human rights.”
The Pope has spoken out strongly against gender ideology in the past, calling it “ugly” because it erases what he claims is the distinction between men and women. The latest Vatican document quotes Francis and describes this as a form of “ideological colonization.”
The magazine said that gender theory is “intended to deny sex, the greatest difference that can exist between living things,” and that it is “the most beautiful and most powerful of all living things.” It has said. The document adds that gender reassignment surgery should be avoided because “the body serves as a living environment in which the interiority of the soul unfolds and emerges,” but the document also states that medical interventions should be avoided for those with “genital abnormalities.” states that it is allowed.
Although Francis is critical of gender theory, he has also offered pastoral support to transgender Catholics. The Pope has met with a group of transgender Catholics from Torvaianica, south of Rome, whom he meets regularly and invited to lunch at the Vatican along with 1,200 other marginalized and homeless people. , gave me a front row seat in one of the audience members.
The Vatican's Doctrine Secretariat, now headed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández of Argentina, a close ally of Francis, also recently acknowledged that transgender people can serve as godparents at baptisms and as witnesses in marriages. The Vatican has changed its 2015 ruling stating that she is transgender. People could not play the role of godparents.
Not all Catholics agree with the Vatican's critique of gender theory. The document was criticized by an LGBTQ+ Catholic group, who said it “failed badly” to provide “limited” dignity to transgender and non-binary people.
“This law provides an excellent rationale for why each human being must be respected, respected and loved, regardless of their circumstances in life, but this principle does not apply to people of different genders. No,” said Frances DeBernardo of New Ways Ministries. I have written.
The latest Vatican document identifies a range of “violations” to human dignity, including in the digital world, and points to a trend where people's private lives are exposed and “scrutinized” anonymously.
The newspaper cited the death penalty, which President Francis has repeatedly condemned, as “a violation of the inalienable dignity of every person.” The Pope has changed Catholic teaching to make the death penalty “unacceptable,” a move criticized by some conservative Catholics.
The document also refers to surrogacy, saying it “violates” the dignity of both the child and the woman and “becomes a mere means to serve the arbitrary interests and desires of others.” Pope Francis recently called for a ban on surrogacy.
With regard to assisted dying, this document reiterated the Church's opposition to euthanasia. “There is a widespread belief that euthanasia and assisted suicide are somehow consistent with respect for human dignity,” the document states. “But…it must be strongly reiterated that suffering does not diminish the dignity of the sick, which is essentially and inseparably theirs.”
The Vatican said the 20-page document had been in preparation for five years and had undergone various amendments to incorporate “grave violations of human dignity in our time” and the Pope's teachings in this area.
The document strongly opposes the criminalization of homosexuality, and Francis has voiced his opposition ahead of his 2023 trip to Africa.
“The fact that in some regions, large numbers of people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the benefits of life solely because of their sexual orientation should be condemned as a violation of human dignity. '', the text states.
Cardinal Fernández, the Vatican's prefect for the doctrine of the doctrine, presented the document to reporters at the Vatican, explaining that human dignity is a “central pillar” of Christian thought.
On homosexuality, the cardinal said that “even some Catholics” were defending laws criminalizing homosexuality, adding that he was “shocked” to read some Catholics' writings supporting such legislation. said.
The latest document was released after Cardinal Fernández's department approved a move to allow same-sex couples to be blessed, sending shockwaves across the church. He defended the document at the beginning of a presentation at the Vatican on Monday, arguing that understanding of the doctrine can evolve and deepen.
He also pointed out that the church's opposition to abortion is not out of “fanaticism” but a consistent defense of humanity. He pointed out that the new document includes violence against women before abortion among the list of violations of human dignity.
This story has been updated with additional context