In his latest formal statement, on April 8, Pope Francis issues new reports on the Vatican‘s ideals regarding sex changes, and even abortion, in which he states that “any sex change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity that a person has received from the moment of conception”.
On that day, the ruler of the Catholic Church signed a document called Dignitas Infinitas– Infinite Dignity, in which he mentions that any gender reassignment surgery risks threatening the “unique dignity” of the individual.
It is known that the Vatican has had contradictory views on the LGBTQIA+ community, having made numerous statements that homosexuality is a sin.
“Being homosexual is not a crime, but it is a sin. That’s fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” said Pope Francis in 2023. This speech generated numerous discussions on the subject, prompting the religious leader to come to the press to explain it in a letter.
“When I said it’s a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which can diminish or eliminate guilt.
As you can see, I was repeating something in general. I should have said ‘It’s a sin, just like any sexual act outside of marriage’. This is talking about the ‘essence’ of sin, but we know well that Catholic morality not only takes into account the essence, but also evaluates freedom and intention. And that goes for every kind of sin. And I would say to anyone who wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong”, he wrote.
Is the Pontiff really liberal?
Returning to the current scenario, this time the denunciation against “gender theory” was made explicit, in which Pope Francis calls it a “very dangerous ideological colonization” and an “ugly ideology”. In addition, the pontiff points out that it is a gift for people to be born in specific sexes and that, if they change this, they run the risk of falling “into the temptation of playing God”, as he himself says.
Despite so many problematic statements, Pope Francis has adopted a more liberal tone compared to other church leaders in trying to reach out to the LGBTQIA+ community, allowing priests to bless same-sex couples and baptize transgender people. And such facts bring possibilities for future changes in the religious milieu.
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The article above was edited by Duda Kabzas.
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