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Transgender people can be baptized in the Catholic Church and serve as godparents, per an official Vatican document published Wednesday.

Why it matters: The decision builds on Pope Francis’ support for LGBTQ+ people, who have faced marginalization from the church — though the pope has previously approved a Vatican doctrine that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions because God “does not and cannot bless sin.”

  • seth@lemmy.world
    362·
    8 months ago

    But why would they want to? When the Vatican stops pretending to have any special knowledge or authority on what is moral, is when anyone should give them any credit, especially given the almost exclusively immoral history of the Roman Catholic church.

    • fluke@lemmy.world
      55·
      8 months ago

      This isn’t necessarily a message to transgender people as individuals, but more a message to their followers that they cannot use their religion as an excuse for their bigotry and ignorant hatred.

      Just because it may not make a difference overnight it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a step in the right direction.

    • Ziggurat@fedia.io
      9·
      8 months ago

      The catholic church still has a huge societal influence and social power,. In many countries, they own hospital, charities, schools, daycares and provide tons of other important services to their members. So in some place being part of the Church is more than just “praying”. Add also the huge number of practicing and cultural catholic who would still see the Church as a reference organization regarding ethic.

      That said, people will still have other way to be bigot : We don’t hate them for being trans but for having non married sex, is an easy one

      • seth@lemmy.world
        1·
        8 months ago

        I agree, and think the majority of people who associate with the RCC do it out of a need to be included in a community where the church has much control. I don’t think most of them actually agree with the doctrines or even know what they are. The community control is the issue.

  • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
    28·
    8 months ago

    Makes me wonder if a previous Pope had to specifically decree that left-handed people can be baptized. I swear people will invent the most bizarre and arbitrary rules to exclude people who are different in some way and then pretend the rule they just made up appears verbatim in whatever book they think God wrote.