The Vatican has released a
new document challeng-
ing modern conceptions
of gender identity.
The 31-page teaching
guidance, released on Monday, is titled
Male and Female He Created Them.
It speaks of an “educational crisis”
and says the current debate can “anni-
hilate the concept of nature” and dest-
abilise the family institution.
The document, released during
Pride month, has drawn immediate
criticism from LGBT groups.
It was issued by the Congregation
for Catholic Education as teaching
instruction to those who work with
children.
It is not signed by Pope Francis him-
self, but quotes him and scripture
within its reasoning.
What does the document say?
The document calls for dialogue, but
issues guidance on a number of topics
including the transgender community.
Notably it criticises the modern un-
derstanding of gender as being more
complex than the binary division of
sexes.
It says current theories “move away
from nature” and instead “towards an
absolute option for the decision of the
feelings of the human subject”.
It also says moveable sexual iden-
tities are “often founded on nothing
more than a confused concept of
freedom in the realm of feelings and
wants”.
It goes on to say that gender is not
decided upon by individuals but im-
puted by God: “The Holy Scripture
reveals the wisdom of the Creator’s
design, which has assigned as a task
to man his body, his masculinity and
femininity.”
