A new Vatican document released April 8 details how the Catholic Church approaches human dignity, but it has raised concerns among LGBTQ parishioners and their allies about how the document describes gender reassignment surgery.
The document, titled “Dignitas Infinita” (“Infinite Dignity”), took five years to write and sets out how the Vatican believes the unique dignity each person possesses can be respected and protected. Although broadly consistent with positions expressed by the Catholic Church in the past, it is noteworthy that the current Pope has elevated some of the Church's most conservative views to doctrine, i.e., to the Church's official teachings, during a period in which the current Pope appears to be trying to manipulate them. It's worth it. Transform your organization in a more progressive and inclusive direction.
The document broadly highlights “serious violations” of human dignity, including war, poverty, abuse of migrants and abuse of women. It also lists other perceived threats, including abortion and what the Vatican describes as “sexual theory” and “transsexualism.” In this article, the document criticizes the gender confirmation process and emphasizes that the Vatican views gender as a clear dichotomy between male and female.
“Pope Francis has made greater strides in recognizing LGBTQ+ Catholics than any of his predecessors, but his support of ‘Dignitas Infinita’ will be seen as turning back the clock on transgender people inside and outside the church.” R. Andrew Chesnut, Bishop Sullivan Chair of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Vox.
The launch of “Dignitas Infinita” comes amid a larger political, cultural and social discourse around transgender rights and healthcare, including a recent UK report on the topic. LGBTQ Catholics and advocates also worry that some governments will enact laws that attack transgender people (such as the Republican bill in the United States to ban gender-affirming treatment for children), creating an environment that will encourage more discrimination.
“This document should not be dismissed as simply abstract theological conversation with little human impact,” Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Way Ministries, an LGBTQ Catholic organization, said in a statement. Rather, the Vatican is again endorsing and propagating ideas that cause real physical harm to transgender, non-binary, and other LGBTQ+ people.”
Vatican document challenges attempts at inclusion
Under Pope Francis, the Vatican has sought to lead a more inclusive Catholic Church, approving blessings for same-sex couples and allowing women to vote in major bishops' conferences for the first time.
Francis has also personally made overtures to the trans community, including endorsing the baptism of trans parishioners and inviting groups of trans women to weekly gatherings. however <디그니타스 인피니타>As exemplified, the church still refuses to marry same-sex couples and bans women from serving as priests, stalling progress toward inclusiveness.
The document's treatment of transgender people continues this pattern by providing “limited dignity” to transgender people while emphasizing the need to recognize the human dignity of all people, DeBernardo said.
In particular, it claims that gender confirmation procedures threaten the dignity a person has at conception, and that such medical practices interfere with “the need to respect the natural order of humanity.” The document also broadly condemns “gender theory” as containing “controversies.”[ing] A person’s gender may be different from the gender they were assigned at birth,” explains NPR’s Jason DeRose.
“When ‘Dignitas Infinita’ condemns gender-affirming interventions as a rejection of God’s plan for human life, it means that individuals who choose to transition have violated God’s will,” Chesnut said.
Jason Steidl, a Catholic major and professor of religious studies at St. John's University, put it more bluntly. “This is the Newsmax version of Catholic theology,” he said.
The Vatican's statement was widely condemned by transgender members of the Catholic Church, who believe it undermines their experience and place in the church. Michael Sennett, a transgender Catholic from Massachusetts, told The Associated Press that “transgender people are loved and intentional creations of God, just as cisgender men and women are.”
But Steidl and others see this doctrine as satisfying more conservative wings of the Catholic Church.
For example, the Pope's announcement that the Vatican would support priests blessing same-sex couples in certain contexts in late 2023 sparked outrage from numerous clergy around the world. Opponents of Francis' more progressive actions have included some in Africa, one of the places where the Catholic Church has seen strong growth in recent years, which they say is “against the will of God.”
According to Steidl, who is also the author: LGBTQ Catholic Ministry, the provisions on transgender people in the Vatican document are likely an attempt to appease this part of the church. Steidl told Vox: “Cardinal Fernández, the prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith, essentially said he was going to throw the traditionalists a bone.
Church doctrine added to policy attacking transgender people
LGBTQ advocates worry the Vatican's document will provide additional ammunition in the political and social arena for conservatives pushing discriminatory policies, especially as political attacks against transgender people have surged in recent years.
At least 19 Republican-led state legislatures in the U.S. have passed bills restricting access to or outright banning gender reassignment treatment, despite a major medical group deeming such treatment medically necessary. As the number of anti-transgender laws skyrockets, a report from the National Center for Transgender Equality found that murders against transgender people increased in the United States between November 2022 and November 2023.
European countries are also taking a more restrictive approach to health care for transgender people, especially minors. A recent report commissioned by the UK's National Health Service questioned current transition practices in paediatrics and reiterated recommendations to reduce the use of puberty blockers. The NHS has already stopped providing treatment to minors with gender dysphoria.
LGBTQ advocates worry the Vatican's document will add to global rhetoric seeking to curtail transgender rights.
“This document… It tells transgender people that they are a threat to the world, a threat to order, and a threat to the system that God has established,” Steidl told Vox. “Unfortunately, the Vatican is contributing to the movement to hurt and eliminate transgender people.”