VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican’s doctrinal office has stated that transsexuals can now participate in various Roman Catholic sacraments, including being godparents, witnesses at religious weddings, and receiving baptism themselves. This announcement came in response to questions from a bishop.
However, the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, an office within the Vatican, was less clear on whether a same-sex couple could have a Church baptism for an adopted child or one obtained through a surrogate mother.
Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro in Brazil submitted six questions in July about the participation of LGBT people in the sacraments of baptism and matrimony. The three pages of questions and answers were signed by the department’s head, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, and approved by Pope Francis on Oct. 31. They were posted in Italian on the department’s website on Wednesday.
Pope Francis, who has attempted to make the Church more hospitable to the LGBT community without altering Church teachings, supported the department’s response, which stressed that same-sex attraction is not considered sinful, but same-sex acts are.
As for transsexuals, the doctrinal office stated that they could be baptized with certain conditions, as long as there is no risk of causing “public scandal or disorientation among the faithful”. It also allowed for transsexuals to serve as godparents at a baptism, at the discretion of the local priest, and as witnesses at Church weddings, with the caveat that the priest should exercise “pastoral prudence” in his decision.
The office also mentioned that individuals in same-sex relationships could serve as witnesses at Catholic weddings, citing current Church canonical legislation.
However, the guidance was less definitive regarding same-sex couples and their role in baptism, particularly for children. The Brazilian bishop specifically sought clarification on whether a same-sex couple who had adopted a child or obtained it from a surrogate mother could have that child baptized in a Catholic ceremony. The response noted that there needed to be “a well-founded hope that it would be educated in the Catholic religion” for the child of a same-sex couple to be baptized.
Similarly, the office’s response was nuanced in addressing whether a person in a same-sex relationship could be a godparent at a Church baptism. It emphasized that the person had to “lead a life that conforms to the faith”.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by David Gregorio)
