The Vatican: A transgender person can receive baptism like any other believers

The world is in constant change. Whether for better or worse, only history will reveal. A piece of news about a shift in attitude comes from the Church. According to a document from the Vatican, signed by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a transgender person, even one who has undergone hormonal treatment and surgical intervention for gender reassignment, can receive baptism under the same conditions as other believers, as long as they do not cause scandal or confusion among other Catholics, as reported by the National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org). Transgender believers can be baptized in the Catholic Church, AFP also conveys. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith raised no objections to the baptism of children from same-sex couples, whether adopted or born through surrogacy. These comments were made in response to questions from Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro, Brazil, who inquired about the participation of transgender and homo-affectionate individuals in baptisms and weddings. Regarding weddings, the question was whether transgender or other LGBTQ+ individuals could witness a Catholic marriage. The answer to both questions was that "there is nothing in the current universal canonical legislation that prohibits" this. In the case of baptism, the responses were longer, more nuanced, and urged pastoral prudence to serve the individuals involved, protect the sacrament, and prevent scandal. The document emphasized that when there are doubts about the person's objective moral situation or their subjective disposition toward grace, pastoral prudence must be exercised. The Church teaches that when baptism is received without repentance for grave sins, the person receives the "sacramental character" but not the "sanctifying grace." The document was approved by Pope Francis, who has repeatedly stated that the Church should be open to everyone, including LGBTQ+ believers. However, the pontiff has made it clear that he considers homosexuality "a sin, like any sexual act outside of marriage." Catholic teaching defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman with the purpose of procreation. In the document, the Congregation specifies that for transgender believers, they "can receive baptism under the same conditions as other believers, provided there is no situation that poses the risk of generating public scandal or uncertainty among believers." The same advice applies to anyone who has undergone hormonal treatment and/or gender reassignment surgery, the statement notes. When asked if two people of the same sex forming a couple could be considered the parents of a child to be baptized, the response was that there must be a "well-founded hope" that the child will be educated in the Catholic religion.