Skip to content

Vatican to publish document on ‘moral questions’ regarding human dignity, gender, surrogacy

The Vatican's main doctrinal office will publish a new statement next week on the issue of human dignity, including gender ideology and surrogacy.

The Vatican’s top doctrinal office next week will unveil a new declaration on the theme of human dignity, one that is expected to address a range of contemporary moral issues including gender ideology and surrogacy.  

The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that the new document, titled Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”) (On Human Dignity), will be debuted at a press conference held in Rome on April 8.

The conference will include presentations by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF); Monsignor Armando Matteo, secretary for the doctrinal section of the DDF; and Professor Paola Scarcella of Rome’s Tor Vergata and LUMSA universities. 

In an interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, in early March, Fernández said there had been “several versions” of the text and that it was “almost finished” and would be published in “early April.” 

The cardinal’s comments came after he told Spanish news agency EFE in January that the text would address “not only social issues but also a strong criticism of moral questions such as sex-change surgery, surrogacy, and gender ideology.”

In recent months and years Pope Francis has spoken out strongly on these topics. In a January address to the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, the pope called surrogacy “deplorable.”

In March, meanwhile, the Holy Father labeled transgender ideology as “the ugliest danger” today, one that “seeks to blur differences between men and women.” 

Since assuming the top spot at the DDF last September, Fernández has faced backlash over the December DDF document Fiducia Supplicans, which allowed for the “spontaneous” (nonliturgical) blessing of same-sex couples as well as those in “irregular” unions. 

The Argentine cardinal in his interview with EFE argued that “people who are concerned” about his work will “be put at ease” by the new document.  

Since the publication of Fiducia Supplicans, Pope Francis has publicly defended the directive on numerous occasions. In February he argued that individuals who are critical of blessings for homosexuals are guilty of “hypocrisy” if they are not similarly opposed to blessings for certain other types of sinners. 

Some of the strongest pushback against Fiducia Supplicans has come from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) as well as from other Christian leaders with which the Church holds ecumenical dialogue. 

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Vatican simplifies funeral rite for popes

The Vatican has updated the liturgical book regulating the funeral rite of popes, simplifying some of the rituals at Pope Francis’ request.

UPDATE | Holy See, Benedict XVI is “lucid and vigilant. Situation serious but stable”

“The Pope Emeritus was able to rest well last night, he is absolutely lucid and vigil and today,

The Jubilee of Youth from St. John Paul II to Leo XIV: The ardent spirit of youth

Twenty-five years have gone by since St. John Paul II transformed the Tor Vergata esplanade in the south of Rome into the beating heart of the young Church for the World Youth Day celebration in 2000.

Pope Francis Calls for Unified Easter Celebrations

Pope Francis Urges Christians to Embrace a Unified Easter Celebration in 2025 for Greater Unity

9 things to know and share about Fátima

May 13 is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fátima, arguably the most prominent approved apparition of the 20th century. It became famous the world over, particularly for its three-part “secret.”

Pope Francis: Treat others with dignity, not as objects

Young people from around the world held hands in St. Peter's Square during the #NotAlone human fraternity event June 10, 2023.

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNit