The Vatican's new text had been in preparation for five years. Their aim was to update the magisterium – the teaching – of the Catholic Church, to take account of changes in society and the moral issues facing the faithful. On Monday, April 8, Rome published the long-awaited "Dignitas Infinita" ("Infinite Dignity"), a document "on human dignity" in which the Holy See updates its position on subjects such as abortion, euthanasia, surrogate motherhood, the integration of LGBTQ+ people, but also war, the situation of migrants and violence against women. It responded to a request from Pope Francis who, as the introduction to the text states, has "explicitly urged that more attention be given to the grave violations of human dignity in our time."

Approved by the pontiff, the text was drafted by the dicastery (the department of the Roman Curia) responsible for ensuring respect for doctrine in the Church, which is headed by Argentine cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, who is reputedly close to Francis. It comes just four months after the same prelate published "Fiducia Supplicans" ("Supplicating Trust"), a document in which the Vatican authorized blessing – the act of calling down God's benevolence on people – for homosexual couples.

Totally unexpected, and published without the slightest explanation from the Vatican, the "Supplicating Trust" text provoked incomprehension among Catholics the world over. Some, such as the clergy of several African countries, even openly refused to comply with it. This situation further fuelled divisions within Catholicism between the faithful and progressive and conservative episcopates.

This time, Cardinal Fernandez together with the pope seem to have learned from their mistakes. "Dignitas Infinita" was presented and analyzed at length by the prelate himself at a rare press conference, where the cardinal even took questions from journalists.

The fourth part lists "grave threats to human dignity." The Vatican takes a straightforward stance "against the practice of surrogate motherhood, through which the child, immensely worthy, becomes a mere object." Surrogate motherhood – which is prohibited in several European countries, including France, but authorized in Denmark, the Netherlands and certain American states – is described as contrasting "in every way with the fundamental dignity of every human being."

The text does not alter the Catholic Church's condemnation of euthanasia, on which French President Emmanuel Macron's government is due to present a bill shortly. "Helping the suicidal person to take his or her own life is an objective offense against the dignity of the person asking for it, even if one would be thereby fulfilling the person’s wish," wrote the dicastery for the doctrine of the faith.

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