Pope Francis has met with a group of transgender and intersex Catholics at the Vatican.
The US party called New Ways Ministry is a Catholic organisation which advocates for LGBTQ people. They were inspired to arrange the meeting following the publication of Dignitas Infinata, in April. The Vatican declaration urged the need to respect the quality of life for everyone but also stated that gender-affirming medical care was incompatible with human dignity.
The term 'gender affirming' refers to altering someone's physical appearance to more closely align their physical body with what gender the identify with.
Sister Jeannine Gramick, one of the co-founders of New Ways Ministry, began writing to the pope following the publication as she was disappointed it had not heard from transgender or intersex Catholics directly and arranged a meeting for the pontiff to meet with people who had direct experience.
“Part of the problem is that Vatican documents had not consulted transgender, intersex people, or any of the medical professionals who work with them. So we were encouraging the pope to consult with people more and to view people’s stories,” said
New Ways Ministry Executive Director Francis DeBernardo which was reported in the Washington Blade.
The group met at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis’s residence in Vatican City on 16th October where those attending shared their experiences of depression and suicidal thoughts as they transitioned. They also emphasized the positive impact of gender-affirming medical care they had.
They urged Pope Frances for greater acceptance within the church.
Recounting the meeting, Francis DeBernardo said the pope didn’t respond verbally but instead clutchd his cross, looked “sincerely pained” as he listened to people describe their difficulties and “nodded vigorously when they talked about how positive medical transition was for them.”
Those who had attended had also shared their experiences with over twenty Catholic bishops in the U.S. earlier this year. The urged the pontiff to set a precedent for other church leaders to be more accepting of the LGBTQ community.
Doctrinally, the Catholic Church condemns same-sex sexual relations and rejects same-sex marriage.
Pope Francis, though, has been more inclusive. The Vatican last year reversed a 2015 ban on transgender people serving as godparents, and approved priests to bless same-sex couples, though not same-sex unions.