Transgender Catholics B次元官网网址� as well as a priest who welcomes them to his parish B次元官网网址� expressed disappointment Monday with a rejecting the fundamental concept of changing oneB次元官网网址檚 biological sex.
In essence, it was a restatement of longstanding Catholic teaching, but the dismay was heightened because recent moves by Pope Francis had encouraged some trans Catholics to hope the church might become more accepting.
The pope has welcomed a community of transgender women to his weekly general audiences. And last year, the Vatican said itB次元官网网址檚 permissible, under certain circumstances, for and serve as godparents.
B次元官网网址淎 document like this is very hurtful to the larger LGBTQ+ community but especially to the trans community,B次元官网网址� said Maxwell Kuzma, 32, a lifelong Catholic transgender man working as a film editor and writer in rural Ohio.
B次元官网网址淲e have seen the care and love Pope Francis has personally extended to the trans community in his personal interactions, yet this document fails to extend that same respect, love, and support,B次元官网网址� Kuzma said via email.
The new document never uses the word B次元官网网址渢ransgender,B次元官网网址� which troubled Michael Sennett, a transgender man who is involved with an LGBTQ+ ministry at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
B次元官网网址淎voiding the word B次元官网网址榯ransgenderB次元官网网址� speaks to limiting the dignity of transgender people,B次元官网网址� Sennett said via email. B次元官网网址淚f the church is unable to name us or acknowledge our true selves, they canB次元官网网址檛 possibly engage us pastorally, even if that is the goal.B次元官网网址�
He also was dismayed by the documentB次元官网网址檚 admonition that God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and that people must not tinker with that or try to B次元官网网址渕ake oneself God.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭ransgender people are beloved, intentional creations of God the same as cisgender men and women are,B次元官网网址� Sennett said. B次元官网网址淭rans people who take hormones or have surgeries are not playing God; we are respecting and accepting our authentic selves.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭ime and time again studies have validated the negative impact on trans people, youth and adults, who are denied affirming care,B次元官网网址� Sennet added. B次元官网网址淭ransitioning is not a medical agenda out to recruit people B次元官网网址� it is a lifeline.B次元官网网址�
Christine Zuba, a transgender woman from New Jersey, noted with dismay that the Vatican doctrine officeB次元官网网址檚 20-page document declared gender-affirming surgery to be a B次元官网网址済rave violation of human dignity,B次元官网网址� on par with such global ills as war and human trafficking.
B次元官网网址淭ransgender persons are being condemned for who we are, and more importantly we become subject to potential harm,B次元官网网址� Zuba said in an email. B次元官网网址淚t again (sadly) gives fuel to those who continue to deny our existence.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e exist, but we do not. We have dignity, but we do not. I donB次元官网网址檛 even want to think about what the religious and political right will make of this.B次元官网网址�
As for Pope Francis, Zuba praised him as B次元官网网址渁 good and holy man.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淥ur church however still has a LOT to learn,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淲e are Not an Ideology. Talk to us. Learn.B次元官网网址�
The Catholic Church in the U.S. is . Some dioceses have issued stern guidelines in effect forbidding acknowledgement of gender transitions. But some parishes have welcomed trans people, including the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, New Jersey. Its priest, the Rev. Alexander Santora, invited Zuba a few years ago to deliver part of the homily at its annual Pride Mass.
Santora told The Associated Press that he was encouraged by some aspects of the new Vatican document, including its assertion that homosexuality should not be criminalized.
B次元官网网址淚 fear, though, that the tone of this document may bring more harm to trans individuals and fuel the hate that is proliferating in the U.S., with more oppressive laws that will lead to suicides and violence,B次元官网网址� he said via email. B次元官网网址淚 hope the Vatican convenes some devout trans Catholics from around the world to dissect this document and make it more pastoral.B次元官网网址�
Kuzma, the Ohio-based film editor and writer, said his dismay over the Vatican document was coupled with continued optimism.
B次元官网网址淐urrently we have a spotlight on us, yet we have existed throughout human history and have often been given special roles in cultures that recognized our unique gifts,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淭he Catholic Church moves slowly, but my hope is that one day, the Vatican will truly recognize the beautiful and important gifts transgender people have to share with the church and the world.B次元官网网址�
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