The Vatican addresses abortion, gender theory and surrogacy

The Vatican published this Monday a new text dedicated to respect for “human dignity” in which it denounces the abortion and gender theory and defends the rights of migrants and LGBT+ people.

The document, called “Dignitas infinite” (“An infinite dignity”) has twenty pages and was approved by Pope Francis.

It can be read as a way to bridge divisions within the church, four months after the scandal surrounding the establishment of blessings for homosexual couples, especially among the most conservative.

The document addresses the key themes of Jorge Bergoglio’s pontificate, such as war, the rights of migrants, poverty, ecology or social justice, in addition to other bioethical issues or issues related to violence on the internet.

The text, the result of five years of work, was published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the powerful body of the Holy See in charge of dogma that lists cases of “specific and serious violations” of dignity.

According to the publication, surrogate management comes in “in total contradiction with the fundamental dignity of every human being“, and “the acceptance of abortion in mentality, customs and in the law itself“reflects”a very dangerous crisis of morality”.

For the first time in such a specific way, the Vatican vehemently denounces the “gender theory”, which Francisco calls “very dangerous ideological colonization”.

“Any sex change intervention generally runs the risk of threatening the unique dignity that a person receives at the moment of conception.”says the document.

At the same time, the Church remembers that LGTB+ people must be respected and denounces that “In some places, many are imprisoned, tortured and even deprived of the good of life just because of their sexual orientation”.

A part is also dedicated to sexist violence, stating that “it will never be condemned enough.”

“Little is said about this violation of human rights (…) and it is painful that some Catholics defend these unjust laws“, lamented in a press conference the prefect of the Dicastery, the Argentine cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, close to the pope and signatory of the text.

Questioned about the doctrine of the Church, which always considers homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered”, he considered that “you could find other more suitable words”, at the same time that he was considered favorable to the decriminalization of homosexuality.

Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has insisted on the importance of a Church open to all, including LGBT+ faithful, but his efforts have met with strong resistance.

Before the press, Monsignor Fernández responded to the growing attacks that accuse him of betraying Catholic doctrine.