Gender change theory, surrogacy and abortion are included in a list of violations of human dignity in “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page document from the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – a Vatican office charged with defending the doctrine of the Church.
The 20-page document was approved by Pope Francis on March 25 after five years of preparation.
A Vatican announcement explains that the document attempts to draw together many violations of human dignity that are often treated separately by Christians concerned with issues like abortion and euthanasia, or on the other hand, social justice issues. “The new text thus contributes to overcoming the dichotomy that exists between those who focus exclusively on beginning-and-end-of-life issues, while forgetting so many other attacks against human dignity and, conversely, those who focus only on defending the poor and migrants while forgetting that life must be defended from conception to its natural conclusion.”
It builds the case for human dignity on a biblical basis: the creation of mankind in God’s image and the life of Jesus. “Throughout his public ministry, he affirms the value and dignity of all who bear the image of God, regardless of their social status and external circumstances. Jesus broke down cultural and cultic barriers, restoring dignity to those who were “rejected” or were considered to be on the margins of society, such as tax collectors (cf. Mt. 9:10-11), women (cf. Jn. 4:1-42), children (cf. Mk. 10:14-15), lepers (cf. Mt. 8:2-3), the sick (cf. Mk. 1:29-34), strangers (cf. Mt. 25:35), and widows (cf. Lk. 7:11-15). He heals, feeds, defends, liberates, and saves.” (Infinite Dignity section 12)
The list of “Some Grave Violations of Human Dignity” begins with war and poverty, ‘travail of migrants’ and human trafficking. Then move on to sexual abuse, violence against women, abortion and surrogacy, euthanasia and assisted suicide, and the marginalisation of people with disability.
On Poverty the unequal distribution of wealth is condemned in the section on poverty. “As Pope St. John Paul II emphasised, ‘One of the greatest injustices in the contemporary world consists precisely in this: that the ones who possess much are relatively few and those who possess almost nothing are many. It is the injustice of the poor distribution of the goods and services originally intended for all.’ Moreover, it would be misleading to make a cursory distinction between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ countries, for Benedict XVI recognised that ‘the world’s wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities are on the increase. In rich countries, new sectors of society are succumbing to poverty, and new forms of poverty are emerging. In poorer areas, some groups enjoy a sort of ‘super-development’ of a wasteful and consumerist kind, which forms an unacceptable contrast with the ongoing situations of dehumanising deprivation.’ The ‘”scandal of glaring inequalities’ continues,”’ where the dignity of the poor is doubly denied because of the lack of resources available to meet their basic needs and the indifference shown toward them by their neighbours.” (Infinite Dignity Section 36)
On surrogacy the document quotes Pope Francis. “The Church also takes a stand against the practice of surrogacy, through which the immensely worthy child becomes a mere object. On this point, Pope Francis’s words have a singular clarity: ‘“’The path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking. In this regard, I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs. A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally.'” (Infinite Dignity section 48)
Gender theory and Sex Change
The section on Gender Theory condemns this theory as a form of wishing to make oneself God, and erasing differences between men and women.
“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.
“Another prominent aspect of gender theory is that it intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference. This foundational difference is not only the greatest imaginable difference but is also the most beautiful and most powerful of them. In the male-female couple, this difference achieves the most marvellous of reciprocities. It thus becomes the source of that miracle that never ceases to surprise us: the arrival of new human beings in the world.
“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. ” (Infinite Dignity sections 56-59)
“Infinite Dignity” then turns to sex change, arguing that it violates the dignity of the human body.
“The dignity of the body cannot be considered inferior to that of the person as such. The Catechism of the Catholic Church expressly invites us to recognise that “the human body shares in the dignity of ‘the image of God.’” … “Teaching about the need to respect the natural order of the human person, Pope Francis affirmed that “creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created.” 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.” (Infinite Dignity section 60).