New Vatican Document Condemns Gender Transitions and Undefined “Gender Theory”

The Vatican doctrinal office issued its latest intervention about LGBTQ+ issues yesterday, part of a larger document on human dignity in contemporary society that posited a highly transgender-negative approach.

The document, titled Dignitas Infinita (Infinite Dignity), was released by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, at a Monday press conference. The 23-page text is divided into four sections, the first three of which are an exposition of church teaching on human dignity and the fourth about “Some Grave Violations of Human Dignity.” (To read New Ways Ministry’s statement responding to the document, click here.)

Among the issues addressed in this final section, which include poverty, war, violence against women, and migration, among others, are two directly relevant to LGBTQ+ issues: “Gender Theory” and “Sex Change.” While most issues are treated in a paragraph or two, with just a few sentences on the topic ot sexual abuse, the document dedicates five paragraphs to “Gender Theory.”

The opening paragraph of this section, number 55, cites Pope Francis’ exhortation Amoris Laetitia in condemning discrimination and violence based on a person’s sexual orientation. The document states, “It should be denounced as contrary to human dignity the fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”

However, the text immediately pivots to questions of gender identity in far more negative terms. It condemns so-called “new rights,” a term the Vatican uses in reference to not only LGBTQ+ equality, but reproductive rights, which “have led to instances of ideological colonization.” The document continues:

“57. Regarding gender theory, whose scientific coherence is the subject of considerable debate among experts, 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 the 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. . .

“59. In this sense, respect for both one’s own body and that of others is crucial in light of the proliferation of claims to new rights advanced by gender theory. This ideology ‘envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family.’ It thus becomes unacceptable that ‘some ideologies of this sort, which seek to respond to what are at times understandable aspirations, manage to assert themselves as absolute and unquestionable, even dictating how children should be raised. . .Only by acknowledging and accepting this difference in reciprocity can each person fully discover themselves, their dignity, and their identity.”

The next section addresses gender-affirming care, under the title “Sex Change.” This single paragraph, number 60, states that, “The dignity of the body cannot be considered inferior to that of the person as such.” The document then condemns gender transitions:

“Such a truth deserves to be remembered, especially when it comes to sex change, for humans are inseparably composed of both body and soul. In this, the body serves as the living context in which the interiority of the soul unfolds and manifests itself, as it does also through the network of human relationships. . .It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception. This is not to exclude the possibility that a person with genital abnormalities that are already evident at birth or that develop later may choose to receive the assistance of healthcare professionals to resolve these abnormalities. However, in this case, such a medical procedure would not constitute a sex change in the sense intended here.”

According to a prefatory note from Cardinal Fernandez, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith began drafting a document on “the dignity of the human person in Christian anthropology” in 2019. An initial draft was rejected outright, and an entirely new draft prepared, which is, in a modified form, what was released today. Fernandez described these five years as “a considerable process of maturation” for the document.

Indeed, the first three sections of Dignitas Infinita are a rich exposition on what and why the church teachings about the dignity of the human person, offering scriptural and theological bases for it. This results in some beautiful, strong passages, like the following:

“17. The Church proclaims the equal dignity of all people, regardless of their living conditions or qualities. . .

“19. By uniting himself with every human being through his Incarnation, Jesus Christ confirmed that each person possesses an immeasurable dignity simply by belonging to the human community; moreover, he affirmed that this dignity can never be lost. By proclaiming that the Kingdom of God belongs to the poor, the humble, the despised, and those who suffer in body and spirit; by healing all sorts of illnesses and infirmities, even the most dramatic ones, such as leprosy; by affirming that whatever is done to these individuals is also done to him because he is present in them: in all these ways, Jesus brought the great novelty of recognizing the dignity of every person, especially those who were considered “unworthy.” This new principle in human history—which emphasizes that individuals are even more “worthy” of our respect and love when they are weak, scorned, or suffering, even to the point of losing the human “figure”—has changed the face of the world. . .

“32. . .[H]uman history shows clear progress in understanding human dignity and freedom, albeit not without shadows and risks of regression. Such advancement in understanding human dignity is demonstrated by the fact that there is an increasing desire to eradicate racism, slavery, and the marginalization of women, children, the sick, and people with disabilities. This aspiration has been bolstered under the influence of the Christian faith, which continues to be a ferment, even in increasingly secularized societies. However, the arduous journey of advancing human dignity remains far from completion.”

In a statement, Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, said Dignitas Infinita “fails terribly by offering transgender and nonbinary people not infinite, but limited human dignity.” This “wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved” is ultimately not applied by the document’s authors to gender-diverse people.

The document itself may offer avenues for the institutional church to evolve in its understanding of and treatment towards transgender and nonbinary people.

First, the document admits church teaching changes. In paragraph 16, the Vatican recognizes that church leaders “progressively developed an ever-greater understanding of the meaning of human dignity, along with its demands and consequences, until it arrived at the recognition that the dignity of every human being prevails beyond all circumstances.” For instance, the church once not only allowed, but even executed people itself, but now understands the death penalty as entirely inadmissible.

Second, Cardinal Fernandez, in his prefatory note, admits the document is but an opening to further conversation when he writes, “its aim is to offer some points for reflection that can help us maintain an awareness of human dignity amid the complex historical moment in which we are living.” LGBTQ+ people and allies should take up this opening to educate church leaders about the realities of gender and sexuality today that the Vatican seems to have missed.

This week, Bondings 2.0 will be featuring a series of reactions and responses to Dignitas Finita from transgender and nonbinary Catholics, theologians, and pastoral ministers. The first commentary published yesterday by Franciscan Fr. Daniel Horan is available here.

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—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, April 9, 2024