Two Catholic bishops join LGBT group to condemn discrimination against transgender people

WASHINGTON (RNS) – Two Roman Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have partnered with Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights organization, to condemn discrimination against transgender people, the groups said Wednesday 31 March.

In a statement provided to Religion News Service, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky; and the Association of Catholic Priests of the United States as well as the presidents of two Jesuit organizations have declared that “we, bishops, religious and lay leaders of the Roman Catholic Church join the Human Rights Campaign in calling at the end of the epidemic of violence against transgender people.

March 31 has been celebrated as Transgender Visibility Day since 2009.

The statement, which quotes the words of Saint John Paul II, notes that the Catechism of the Catholic Church insists that “any sign of unjust discrimination” against LGBTQ people “must be avoided” and condemns acts of violence perpetrated against transgender people in recent years which have been documented by the HRC.

Two Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have partnered with the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights organization, to condemn discrimination against transgender people.

“It is our Catholic duty to affirm the dignity of transgender people and to defend them against any harm,” the statement read.

The declaration invokes Saint Bonaventure – “we are brought to contemplate God in (all creation)” – before adding “this is no less true for our transgender brothers and sisters”.

He concludes: “Transgender people have always been members of our local parishes and the testimony of their lives … leads us to a greater contemplation of God and the mystery of our faith. To our transgender brothers and sisters, always know that the image of God resides within you and that God loves you. “

In addition to the bishops, the signatories include Reverend Michael Garanzini, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; Tom Chabolla, president of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps; the Rev. Bob Bonnot and the Rev. Louis Arceneaux, who are respectively executive director and secretary of the Association of Catholic Priests of the United States; and Reverend Neil Pezzulo.

HRC President Alphonso David celebrated the statement.

“It is our Catholic duty to affirm the dignity of transgender people and to defend them against any harm,” the statement read.

“Deadly violence against the transgender community, spurred by discrimination and hatred, is a moral issue and one in which the voices of Catholic leaders are essential to the safety of our transgender brothers and sisters,” he said in a statement. Press release. “This is a critical time to come together united, powered by our faith, and raise our voices to say unequivocally that transgender rights are human rights and must be protected. “

The statement comes less than a week after Stowe publicly approved the Equality Act, a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide protection from discrimination to LGBTQ Americans in a range of areas. , including housing, education, loans and civic affairs. .

“LGBTQ people reflect the image of God’s likeness, like everyone else, and so it is our duty to love and stand up for them,” Stowe wrote in a March 19 letter to the senses. Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley, according to America Magazine. “As a Catholic Bishop, I hate to see any form of harmful discrimination protected by law and it is consistent with our teaching to ensure that LGBTQ people have the protection they need. “

[Related: ‘It is our duty to love and defend’ LGBT Americans: Bishop Stowe breaks with U.S. bishops on the Equality Act]

Stowe’s support for the bill came in direct opposition to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which campaigned against the equality law and argued that it “discriminates against believers precisely because of these beliefs ”.

The Kentucky cleric was also among 14 active and retired Catholic bishops who signed a statement in January calling on “all people of good will” to “help, support and defend LGBT youth” who have been intimidated, harassed and victims of violent attacks. . More than 20 priests from the Diocese of Stowe followed suit a month later, signing a statement claiming that clerics have a duty “to help, support and defend LGBT youth who attempt suicide at much higher rates. higher than their heterosexual counterparts ”.

None of the statements directly question Church teaching such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, among other things, refers to “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered”.

None of the statements directly question Church teaching such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, among other things, refers to “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered”. Earlier this month, the Vatican released a statement declaring that LGBTQ couples cannot receive a priest’s blessing.

[Related: Vatican, with Pope Francis’ approval, says priests cannot bless same-sex couples]

“Since the blessings on persons are in relation to the sacraments, the blessing of same-sex unions cannot be considered lawful,” reads the statement, which was signed by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Vatican faith.

Despite this, the Vatican document is widely seen as evidence of the growing dissatisfaction of some Catholics – including bishops – with the church’s approach to LGBTQ people and relationships: when the German bishops first met. this year, among conversations with lay Catholics was the possibility of priests blessing same-sex couples.

More America