Presence of Transgender Women at the Vatican and Pope Francis’s Meeting with Them
A group of transgender women have been present at the Vatican, and the leader of Catholics worldwide, Pope Francis, met with them.
Last Sunday, November 19, 200 people from poor and homeless communities attended a lunch ceremony at the Vatican, among whom were two Argentine transgender women. One of them sat across from the Pope at the dining table during lunch, and the other, who was a sex worker, expressed gratitude for the Pope’s treatment of them.
The presence of transgender people at this week’s lunch ceremony stems from a change in the Catholic Church’s perspective toward the transgender community last week. This change in approach enables them to receive baptism and to serve as godparents or witnesses at a wedding. According to a statement released by the Vatican on this matter, transgender people, including those undergoing hormone replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery, can be baptized under conditions similar to other believers, provided there is no risk of causing public scandal or deviation.
New Ways Ministry is a Catholic organization that has made bridging communication between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community part of its agenda. Francis DiBernardo, the executive director of this organization, also wrote last month: “The Vatican’s confirmation that transgender people should be welcomed in the sacred life of the Church demonstrates Pope Francis’s commitment to issues concerning the LGBTQ+ community.”
