Transsexual individuals can receive baptism in the Roman Catholic Church “if there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating public scandal,” according to a new Vatican policy statement.
Pope Francis and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez announced the policy in an October 31 letter to Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro, Brazil.
The church’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Fernandez, posted the document Wednesday on its website.
The letter does not address other sacraments, such as Holy Communion, confirmation and last rites.
In addition, it defines the term transsexual as someone who has “undergone hormonal treatment and sex reassignment surgery” but does not refer to transgender people or those who identify with a gender different from their birth gender.
Bishop Negri sent questions to Rome on July 14 “regarding the possible participation in the sacraments of baptism and marriage by transsexual and homo-affective” persons.
“There is nothing in current universal law that prohibits a transsexual from being a witness to a wedding,” the document states. Cohabiting homosexuals also can be permitted to be wedding witnesses, according to the document.
Still, no one has the right to be a godparent at a baptism, the document states. Under certain conditions, an adult transsexual can be admitted to the role, but “pastoral prudence requires that it not be permitted if there is a risk of scandal … undue legitimation or disorientation” in a congregation.
Gays living together in a “stable and declared … relationship, well known by the community” should probably not be godparents but could serve as witnesses, the document states.
The letter was published in Italian. The Washington Times used machine translation for quotes in this report.
The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit who has a ministry for LGBTQ individuals, said on X that the document marks a “historic step forward in the church’s relationship with transgender persons.”
“In some dioceses, they were prevented from doing so by local pastors. As such, 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,” said Father Martin, who is close to the pope.
Although the letter does not specifically address other sacraments, Dawn Eden Goldstein, a Catholic theologian and canon lawyer, said via email that “a transgender person who receives the Sacrament of Baptism is not only encouraged but obliged to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation as well.”
She cited Canon 890, which says, “The faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the proper time. Parents and pastors of souls, especially pastors of parishes, are to take care that the faithful are properly instructed to receive the sacrament and come to it at the appropriate time.”
