The Vatican on Monday declared “sex changes” and “gender theory” as threats to human dignity. 

The Details: In a 20-page document titled “Infinite Dignity,” the leadership of the Catholic Church issued statements on a wide range of social issues, including abortion, surrogacy, poverty, and violence against women. 

Key Quotes: “All attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected,” the Vatican said. While the document did not appear to include a concrete definition of “gender theory,” it did state that the “ideology” was of debatable “scientific coherence” and “intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference.” Beyond that, the Vatican said, gender theory’s desire for “personal self-determination” amounted to “a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God.” Furthermore, the Vatican said, “It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.”

For Context: While the Vatican decried the mistreatment of people on the basis of sexual orientation, echoing Pope Francis’ previous remarks on same-sex marriage, the new statements on gender identity may put the Catholic Church at odds with liberals and in line with traditionalist Catholics and U.S. conservatives. 

How the Media Covered It: Some coverage from the left put “gender theory” in quotes, potentially distancing itself from language, like “transgenderism,” which many transgender people see as bigoted. The Daily Wire (Right bias), which has championed such language, said the Vatican opposed “radical gender theory.”