Pope Francis uses transpeople’s preferred names and pronouns

[Vouthon]

In an address published as a document on the Vatican website, Pope Francis has taken the opportunity, in response to a question by an interviewer, to clarify his understanding of Catholic doctrine and pastoral practice towards transgender people:

Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan: In-Flight Press Conference from Azerbaijan to Rome (Papal Flight, 2 October 2016) | Francis

Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan: In-Flight Press Conference from Azerbaijan to Rome, Papal Flight, 2 October 2016

www.vatican.va

Q: Thank you, Holy Father. In that same speech yesterday in Georgia, as in many other countries, you spoke of “gender” theory, saying that it is the great enemy, a threat to marriage. I would like to ask what would you say to a person who has suffered for years with his or her sexuality and truly feels that it is a biological problem, that his or her physical makeup does not correspond to what he or she considers his or her sexual identity? As a pastor and minister, how would you accompany these people?​

​

Francis: No. What I was talking about has to do with the mischief going on these days with the indoctrination of gender theory. A French father told me that he was at the table speaking to his children – he is Catholic, his wife is Catholic, the children are Catholic, lukewarm Catholics, but Catholics – and he asked his ten-year old son: “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” – “A girl.” And his father realized that the schoolbooks were teaching gender theory. This is against the realities of nature. It is one thing if a person has this tendency, this option; some people even change sex. But it is another thing to teach this in schools, in order to change people’s way of thinking. I call this “ideological colonization.”​

​

Last year I received a letter from a Spanish man who told me his story from the time when he was a child. He was born a female, a girl, and he suffered greatly because he felt that he was a boy but physically was a girl. He told his mother, when he was in his twenties, at 22, that he wanted to have an operation and so forth. His mother asked him not to do so as long as she was alive. She was elderly, and died soon after. He had the operation. He is a municipal employee in a town in Spain. He went to the bishop. The bishop helped him a great deal, he is a good bishop and he “wasted” time to accompany this man. Then he got married. He changed his civil identity, he got married and he wrote me a letter saying that it would bring comfort to him to come see and me with his bride: he, who had been she, but is he. I received them. They were pleased. And in the neighbourhood where he lived there was an elderly priest, over 80 years old, the former parish priest who assisted the nuns, there, in the parish… Then a new [parish priest] came. When the new priest would see him, he would yell at him from the sidewalk: “You’ll go to hell!” When he went to the old priest, the old priest said to him: “How long has it been since you made your confession? Come now, I will hear your confession so you can receive Communion”.​

​

Do you see what I am saying? Life is life, and things have to be taken as they come. Sin is sin. Tendencies or hormonal imbalances create many problems and we have to take care not to say: “It doesn’t make any difference, let’s live it up.” No, not at all. But for every case welcome it, accompany it, look into it, discern and integrate it. This is what Jesus would do today."​

​

Not only does he use the correct pronouns and denominators, recognising the gender identity of these people as being the gender that they innately know to be their true selves, he also usefully clarifies what his Magisterium has condemned when referring to "gender theory".

It's not a denial of the reality of transgender people, the validity of gender affirming surgery and gender dysphoria. No, what the Pope condemns are people treating "gender" as if it's fluid and biological reality (genotype and phenotype) as if it doesn't exist. That's not what it means to be trans, he explains with illustration using two real life stories.

Being genuinely trans is being born with a neurotype that doesn't match the sex of your biology. Francis understands the difference. The latter are deserving not only of full support and inclusion he explains but recognition *as* the gender they identify with and know themselves to be innately, neurotypally, and to receive support from the church pastorally as they transition towards fully living that reality. Being trans is not a choice.

Gender fluidity and teaching children that sex doesn't exist (when it's the most fundamental natural distinction between humans, involving different genotypes, hormonal balances, phenotypes and brain structure with corresponding developmental, perceptual and behavioural differences) is not helpful and in fact dangerous to people's health and well-being, because medicine for example that might help a biological man or a psychiatric propensity that men might have may not apply to women (we experience pain using different neuronal pathways for eg. in the brain and have differing compositions of grey matters etc.)

An transwoman was *born* with a female neurotype in a male genotype and phenotype. These people exist, they are not faking the gender dysphoria. That's not something you choose, if you have a female brain and a dick with xy chromosomes you'll innately be aware of this growing up when you interact with neurotypical xy males with male brains and expected behavioural characteristics (not reducing any one to types but speaking in terms of averages and reasonable predictions based on underlying hormonal, genetic and neurostructural factors).

Imho, it's so refreshing to hear this from the most powerful bishop in the Christian world.

And it's not the first time he's done this either:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/05/pope-francis-transgender-sex-workers/

How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers​

The outreach, reflecting the most radical stage of his papacy, has prompted backlash while also altering the lives of the nearly 100 people he has met.

 

[Vouthon]

"VATICAN CITY — Sea gulls soared over St. Peter’s Square as Laura Esquivel, clad in tight leather pants, aimed herself toward the high walls of the Holy See. “It’s not too much? My makeup?” she asked, self-consciously touching a rouged cheek. “I don’t care what people think. But this is the pope.”

She hurried into the Vatican’s cavernous Paul VI Audience Hall and was ushered to the front row. Before her, a 23-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Jesus gazed down. Behind her, the faithful flashed curious looks.

It was the third papal meeting for Laura, 57, a saucy Paraguayan sex worker who, in her realest moments, described herself as “una travesti,” outdated Spanish slang for “a transgender woman.” She lived by a code: Tough girls don’t cry. But the first time Pope Francis had blessed her, she couldn’t suppress her tears. On their second meeting, they chatted over lunch. He came to know her well enough to ask about her health. On top of her longtime HIV, she’d had a recent cancer diagnosis. During treatment, the church sourced her a comfortable hotel room in the shadow of the Colosseum and provided food, money, medicine and tests."

 

[libre]

Francis: No. What I was talking about has to do with the mischief going on these days with the indoctrination of gender theory.

People ought to fawn less over the tiniest concessions of the Vatican as long as he parrots dangerous vitriol.

 

[Yerda]

Francis: No. What I was talking about has to do with the mischief going on these days with the indoctrination of gender theory. A French father told me that he was at the table speaking to his children – he is Catholic, his wife is Catholic, the children are Catholic, lukewarm Catholics, but Catholics – and he asked his ten-year old son: “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” – “A girl.” And his father realized that the schoolbooks were teaching gender theory. This is against the realities of nature. It is one thing if a person has this tendency, this option; some people even change sex. But it is another thing to teach this in schools, in order to change people’s way of thinking. I call this “ideological colonization.”

This sounds like it could have been snipped from the Telegraph or Spectator.

 

[Twilight Hue]

In an address published as a document on the Vatican website, Pope Francis has taken the opportunity, in response to a question by an interviewer, to clarify his understanding of Catholic doctrine and pastoral practice towards transgender people:

Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan: In-Flight Press Conference from Azerbaijan to Rome (Papal Flight, 2 October 2016) | Francis

Apostolic Journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan: In-Flight Press Conference from Azerbaijan to Rome, Papal Flight, 2 October 2016

www.vatican.va

Q: Thank you, Holy Father. In that same speech yesterday in Georgia, as in many other countries, you spoke of “gender” theory, saying that it is the great enemy, a threat to marriage. I would like to ask what would you say to a person who has suffered for years with his or her sexuality and truly feels that it is a biological problem, that his or her physical makeup does not correspond to what he or she considers his or her sexual identity? As a pastor and minister, how would you accompany these people?​

​

Francis: No. What I was talking about has to do with the mischief going on these days with the indoctrination of gender theory. A French father told me that he was at the table speaking to his children – he is Catholic, his wife is Catholic, the children are Catholic, lukewarm Catholics, but Catholics – and he asked his ten-year old son: “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” – “A girl.” And his father realized that the schoolbooks were teaching gender theory. This is against the realities of nature. It is one thing if a person has this tendency, this option; some people even change sex. But it is another thing to teach this in schools, in order to change people’s way of thinking. I call this “ideological colonization.”​

​

Last year I received a letter from a Spanish man who told me his story from the time when he was a child. He was born a female, a girl, and he suffered greatly because he felt that he was a boy but physically was a girl. He told his mother, when he was in his twenties, at 22, that he wanted to have an operation and so forth. His mother asked him not to do so as long as she was alive. She was elderly, and died soon after. He had the operation. He is a municipal employee in a town in Spain. He went to the bishop. The bishop helped him a great deal, he is a good bishop and he “wasted” time to accompany this man. Then he got married. He changed his civil identity, he got married and he wrote me a letter saying that it would bring comfort to him to come see and me with his bride: he, who had been she, but is he. I received them. They were pleased. And in the neighbourhood where he lived there was an elderly priest, over 80 years old, the former parish priest who assisted the nuns, there, in the parish… Then a new [parish priest] came. When the new priest would see him, he would yell at him from the sidewalk: “You’ll go to hell!” When he went to the old priest, the old priest said to him: “How long has it been since you made your confession? Come now, I will hear your confession so you can receive Communion”.​

​

Do you see what I am saying? Life is life, and things have to be taken as they come. Sin is sin. Tendencies or hormonal imbalances create many problems and we have to take care not to say: “It doesn’t make any difference, let’s live it up.” No, not at all. But for every case welcome it, accompany it, look into it, discern and integrate it. This is what Jesus would do today."​

​

Not only does he use the correct pronouns and denominators, recognising the gender identity of these people as being the gender that they innately know to be their true selves, he also usefully clarifies what his Magisterium has condemned when referring to "gender theory".

It's not a denial of the reality of transgender people, the validity of gender affirming surgery and gender dysphoria. No, what the Pope condemns are people treating "gender" as if it's fluid and biological reality (genotype and phenotype) as if it doesn't exist. That's not what it means to be trans, he explains with illustration using two real life stories.

Being genuinely trans is being born with a neurotype that doesn't match the sex of your biology. Francis understands the difference. The latter are deserving not only of full support and inclusion he explains but recognition *as* the gender they identify with and know themselves to be innately, neurotypally, and to receive support from the church pastorally as they transition towards fully living that reality. Being trans is not a choice.

Gender fluidity and teaching children that sex doesn't exist (when it's the most fundamental natural distinction between humans, involving different genotypes, hormonal balances, phenotypes and brain structure with corresponding developmental, perceptual and behavioural differences) is not helpful and in fact dangerous to people's health and well-being, because medicine for example that might help a biological man or a psychiatric propensity that men might have may not apply to women (we experience pain using different neuronal pathways for eg. in the brain and have differing compositions of grey matters etc.)

An transwoman was *born* with a female neurotype in a male genotype and phenotype. These people exist, they are not faking the gender dysphoria. That's not something you choose, if you have a female brain and a dick with xy chromosomes you'll innately be aware of this growing up when you interact with neurotypical xy males with male brains and expected behavioural characteristics (not reducing any one to types but speaking in terms of averages and reasonable predictions based on underlying hormonal, genetic and neurostructural factors).

Imho, it's so refreshing to hear this from the most powerful bishop in the Christian world.

And it's not the first time he's done this either:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/05/pope-francis-transgender-sex-workers/

How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers​

The outreach, reflecting the most radical stage of his papacy, has prompted backlash while also altering the lives of the nearly 100 people he has met.

Kind of puts God in a bad light as a confused deity that cannot even create a viable functioning human with distinct roles as defined in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

There's openness in the religion and one of tolerance, but better explanations are required with such a specific narrative in the Bible.

 

[sun rise]

Tendencies or hormonal imbalances create many problems and we have to take care not to say: “It doesn’t make any difference, let’s live it up.” No, not at all. But for every case welcome it, accompany it, look into it, discern and integrate it. This is what Jesus would do today."

This is what Jesus would do today. - That's the essence of this Pope. I would bet that he reflected on Jesus and the prostitute and her forgiven sins and does not turn away people because of who they are no matter what doctrine says.