Pope Francis urged to undo ban on gender-affirming care

Pope Francis is facing calls to overturn the Catholic Church’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender people after meeting with LGBTQ+ activists at the Vatican.

The meeting was held behind closed doors at the Pope’s guest house and was hosted by New Ways Ministries, a US-based advocacy group for LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Attendees included Catholic sisters who work with LGBTQ+ people, and doctors from the United States who run gender-affirming care clinics for transgender people, trans adults, and other LGBTQ+ activists.

Sennett, a transgender man from Boston, also attended. As told to ReutersHe said his intention in attending the meeting was to share with the Pope the “joy” of being a transgender Catholic, and that gender-affirming care has made him “comfortable” in his body. Ta.

The move comes six months after the Vatican rejected Catholic doctrine’s acceptance of gender-affirming care, saying it “risks threatening the inherent dignity that a person has enjoyed from the moment of conception.”

The document, released in April, aimed to outline the Pope’s position on gender reassignment surgery, surrogacy and abortion.

The newspaper said that gender-affirming care is a form of “ideological colonization” and that gender theory is “extremely dangerous because it negates difference in its claims to make all people equal.” Pope Francis was quoted as saying.

Also, any attempt to blur the differences between men and women should be rejected, and gender reassignment surgery should be avoided because “the body serves as a living context in which the interiority of the soul unfolds and emerges.” He also said that.

A distinction is made because medical treatment for people with “genital abnormalities” is permitted.

The Vatican was heavily criticized for the move, particularly for not consulting transgender people about their experiences before announcing the ban.

Reports after the meeting suggested that Pope Francis was “very receptive” to what the activists had to say, especially since he has been said to be more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community since becoming pontiff. It was done.

He previously said transgender people could be baptized in the Catholic Church and serve as godparents, and same-sex relationships could also be blessed by the Catholic Church.