The Vatican has stated that practices of gender-affirming surgery and maternal surrogacy are inconsistent with God’s plan for human life. The Catholic Church’s document has put both the practice on par with abortion and euthanasia in terms of their perceived impact on human dignity.   

The document titled “Infinite Dignity” states the Catholic principle that individuals cannot alter their gender as God created men and women with inherent biological differences.   

Moreover, the declaration, which was developed over five years and approved by Pope Francis, stressed the importance of respecting these differences and caution against attempts to contradict them and “make oneself God.”   

The Catholic Church has also made allowances for the complexities surrounding “genital abnormalities” that can be present at birth or develop later. Moreover, it added that such situations might be “resolved” with the assistance of experienced healthcare professionals.   

Additionally, affirming traditional Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, the 20-page document has also addressed contemporary issues related to poverty, war, forced migration, and human trafficking.   

Laws on surrogacy tend to differ across the world, but only a few nations and some states in the US allow for commercial surrogacy. Others tend to allow altruistic surrogacy, where no money is exchanged. However, many nations, including most in Europe, have banned the practice altogether.   

In 2017, Pope Francis stated in a speech that gender affirmation treatment constituted a violation of human dignity. In 2023, the pontiff published a letter declaring: “We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”  

Further, conservative clerics have reeled, insisting that to bless same-sex couples was a contradiction of centuries of Catholic teaching. The latest document also warns of “unjust discrimination.” This is especially true in nations where trans people are criminalized and imprisoned and, in some cases, put to death. 

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