Based on vast human experience and centuries of reflection on Divine Revelation, the Catholic Church has a particular contribution to make to sound public policy and the common good.

However, to make the best use of these incredible gifts, we need to be discerning about their best application. Some public-policy questions have multiple answers that are broadly consistent with the Church’s teaching. Other questions really have only one right answer.

Bishop Robert Barron’s outstanding response to the executive order on gender ideology offers a good opportunity to reflect on these distinctions.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This executive order states clearly:

“It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

The executive order gives a precise scientific definition of male and female and charges the various government departments with rewriting policies in accordance with this definition.

The extensive list of governmental actions that will have to be rescinded makes it clear just how much of “gender ideology extremism” has been governmentally created. The sexual state has been alive and well in this arena, as in so many other aspects of the sexual revolution.

Bishop Barron’s response to this executive order was very sound. Acting in his capacity as chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, he stated, “I welcome the President’s Executive Order prohibiting the promotion and federal funding of procedures that, based on a false understanding of human nature, attempt to change a child’s sex.”

He continued, “It is unacceptable that our children are encouraged to undergo destructive medical interventions instead of receiving access to authentic and bodily-unitive care. … Helping young people accept their bodies and their vocation as women and men is the true path of freedom and happiness.”

The strength of this statement is twofold. First, it is grounded in the Catholic Church’s deep understanding of human nature. Second, it answers the type of question the Church is especially equipped to answer.

Some public policy questions have many possible answers that are consistent with the Christian ethos. Complex topics like immigration, housing or welfare are examples of policies that can have many possible Christian answers. How many migrants should be admitted? Who qualifies for subsidized housing? How much are welfare recipients allowed to earn in paid employment before they lose their government benefits?

Even if the intentions of the policies are consistent with the Christian ethos, there are many possible answers to each one of these questions. And there are many possible missteps or errors in the implementation of even the best-designed policies. In other words, there is not and cannot be a distinctly “Catholic” policy in every relevant dimension. Catholics and others of goodwill will inevitably disagree among themselves.

But if the question is, “Can a boy become a girl?” there is only one correct answer: No. An individual who answers this question incorrectly will create heartbreak for himself and those who love him. Even worse, public officials who base governmental policy on the wrong answer will create catastrophic consequences that ripple through society.

This is why Bishop Barron’s succinct statement succeeded. It did not get into the nitty-gritty of policy details. (What are we going to do for kids who are partway through some complicated process? How are we going to help the detransitioners? How are we going to deal with the medical professionals who were complicit in these procedures?)

But the Minnesota bishop’s statement did articulate an important philosophical principle that will have to be considered in the answers to these detailed policy questions.

More importantly, Bishop Barron’s statement spoke to issues squarely within the Church’s expertise: What is the nature of reality? What does it mean to be human? What will really make us happy?

These questions are different from the questions surrounding immigration policy, housing policy, student loans, welfare or any of dozens of other topics. “What is a human person?” is a pitch right down the middle of the plate of the Church’s competence. Bishop Barron made solid contact — maybe not a home run, but for sure, a base hit with a couple of RBIs.

The detailed policy questions are like tricky pitches — difficult to hit cleanly, with a high risk of failure. You might foul one off, pop up, or even hit into a double play. But unlike baseball, where you have to take your turn at bat, public-policy decisions allow you to choose when and what to address. So why swing at the toughest pitches when you don’t have to?

On the most important issues of our time, there are definite answers:

“Can a girl grow up to be a man?” No.

“Is the deliberate taking of an innocent human life ever morally permissible?” No.

“Will doing whatever we happen to want at any particular moment bring us true and lasting happiness?” No.

The Catholic Church’s teachings in these areas will bless anyone who embraces them, enriching individual lives and strengthening society as a whole.

As Pope St. John Paul II used to say, “The Church does not impose. The Church proposes.” The Catholic Church is on the right side of history on all these questions. Let’s focus on doing what we do best: proposing the timeless truths about the human condition.