VATICAN CITY (NEWSnet/AP) — The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as violations of human dignity.

It place them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that reject God’s plan for human life.

The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.

From a pope who has made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community a hallmark of his papacy, the document was a setback for trans Catholics. But its message also is consistent with his long-standing belief that, although trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not.

The Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s biological sex can change. It says God created man and woman as biologically separate beings, and said people must not alter that or try to “make oneself God.”

“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document says.

It distinguished between gender-affirming surgery, which it rejects, and “genital abnormalities” that are present at birth or that develop later. Those abnormalities can be “resolved” with the help of health care professionals, it said.

Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics immediately criticized the document as outdated, harmful and contrary to the stated goal of recognizing the “infinite dignity” of all of God’s children. They warned it could have real-world effect on trans people, fueling violence and discrimination.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.