The Vatican's doctrinal office has on Wednesday announced that transgender people can be godparents at Roman Catholic baptisms, witnesses at religious weddings and receive baptism themselves.
The department, known as The Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith department made this known while responding to questions from a bishop.
READ ALSO: 20-Year Old House Boy Reportedly Rips Off Manhood Of Aged Master For Money Ritual
Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro in Brazil had asked the doctrinal office six questions in July regarding LGBT people and their participation in the sacraments of baptism and matrimony, with the three pages of questions and answers signed by the department's head, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, and approved by Pope Francis on Oct. 31.
The questions were posted on the department's website on Wednesday using the Italian word for "transsexuals".
The doctrinal office in response to a question of whether transgender people can be baptized, said they could with some conditions and as long as there is "no risk of causing a public scandal or disorientation among the faithful".
The office said transgender people could be godparents at a baptism at the discretion of the local priest as well as a witness at a Church wedding, but the local priest should exercise "pastoral prudence" in his decision.
"This is an important step forward in the Church seeing transgender people not only as people (in a Church where some say they don't really exist) but as Catholics," Father James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest and supporter of LGBT rights in the Church, said on X.
The document also said a person in a same-sex relationship could also be a witness at a Catholic wedding, the office said, citing current Church canonical legislation which contained no prohibition against it.
Comments
Post a Comment