THE Vatican has ruled that transgender people can be baptised, act as godparents, and be witnesses at a marriage — provided that efforts are made to avoid “scandal and disorientation among the faithful”. Children and adolescents with transgender issues, if well prepared and willing, can also receive baptism. In its statement, the Vatican Dicastery said that the Church placed “real value” on “the duties of godparents”, their part in the community, and “the consideration they show towards Church teaching”. Pope Francis himself had emphasised that “the doors of the sacraments” should not be “closed for any reason”. A philosophy specialist from Poland’s Catholic University of Lublin, Agnieszka Zielinska, said that many conservative Catholics believed Pope Francis was “playing with fire” by signing off an “imprecise ruling” which looked certain to stoke “misunderstandings and misinterpretations”.

Source: The Times November 16, 2023 11:29 UTC