The Vatican is working on a document on human dignity that contains strong criticism of certain trends in contemporary society including gender ideology and commercial surrogacy.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s prefect at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), told the Spanish news agency EFE that the new document will include “not only social issues but also a strong criticism of moral questions such as sex-change surgery, surrogacy, and gender ideology.”

The news comes days after Pope Francis spoke out against surrogacy, calling it “deplorable” and advocating a global ban. Almost all European countries ban commercial surrogacy and some ban it in all forms. Francis has also often criticised gender theory, referring to it as “dangerous” and “one of the most dangerous ideological colonisations” that blur the differences and value of men and women.