Pope Francis Holds Private Audience With Transgender Man

[onehandle]

Source: Philadelphia Magazine

This weekend at the Vatican, Pope Francis met with a Spanish transgender man, Diego Neria Lejárraga, after he wrote a letter to the Pope complaining that his church discriminated against him following his gender-reassignment surgery. The Washington Blade says Lejárraga complained about the rejection he felt from his fellow congregants, who even went so far as to abuse him with verbal attacks, calling him names like “the devil’s daughter.”

“After hearing him on many occasions, I felt that he would listen to me,” Neria told a newspaper publisher in Spain.

Human rights groups are applauding the Pope's move, calling it a historic, forward-thinking move for the papacy. Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of LGBT Catholics group Dignity USA told the Blade that the meeting is a "very significant event."

“For the Pope to meet with a transgender man about to be married, and for that meeting to result in this man feeling more hopeful about his place in the Church, shows a concern for those at the very margins of our church,” she said. “I hope the Pope listened carefully to this man’s experience, and will speak about what he heard."

Read more: http://www.phillymag.com/g-philly/2015/01/26/pope-francis-holds-private-audience-transgender-man

[shenmue]

1. That sound you hear

is conservative heads exploding.

[former9thward]

2. Added to that is the sound of DUers Heads exploding

who hate this Pope no matter what he says or does. They will be along shortly telling us how he hates gays.

[NYC Liberal]

15. He doesn't hate us because he thinks we have a disorder.

We can't help being gay. We just have to stay celibate and not have any intimate relationships (let alone get married). That's been in the Catechism for a long time.

[MADem]

7. Yeah, that Catholic League guy must be ready to burst a blood vessel!

That guy's middle name should be "NOOOOoooooooooo~~!!!!!!!!!" He's so into the whole "Thou Shalt Not" aspect of the religion!!!!

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Love.

[Zorra]

8. +1

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. Interesting.

[glinda]

5. Compassion, intelligence, love. Wow. just wow.

[BrotherIvan]

6. I applaud this move

[JI7]

10. hoping he can convince Francis to be a better person

[Bluenorthwest]

11. What did the Pope say after the meeting?

I remember back to Diana, Princess of Wales when she visited the pediatric AIDS ward and people were shocked that she'd been close to those kids, even Diana immediately went to the press and made a strong statement about her actions and those who were critical of them. Diana was an admirable person. Her words helped change things.
So can you link to the Pope's actual statement?

[JI7]

16. I think many see just him meeting with the person as making a statement

Like diana embracing the babies .

[candelista]

12. He sure is better than the last guy.

[Johnny Rash]

13. The more I hear about Pope Francis, the more I think Pope Francis sounds like Dr. Phil, on TV!

[Feron]

14. Don't be fooled by the PR Pope

It's the same BS in a friendly media-savvy package.

Actions speak louder than words and I would be shocked if anything of consequence comes from this visit.

Gay is fine in Catholicism as long as the gay person is celibate or in a heterosexual marriage. I could see a possible loophole if the transman has the parts to get pregnant and is marrying a man.

I really don't see the Pope changing any of this. Just like he slammed the door shut on birth control.

This man's best move is to simply leave the Church and find people that accept him.

[happyslug]

17. The Catholic Church has a weird postion on Homosexulaity but it is not not anti-gay.

First, the Church has a hierarchy of sins. The sins that are "mortal" that get you condemned to hell is a violation of the Ten Commandments, The only SEX crime in the ten Commandments is Adultery. Fornication (sex outside of marriage) is NOT a mortal sin, and thus neither is Homosexuality.

Now, venial sins are omissions or actions that harms someone else or other wise viewed as a sin. This is where fornication, including homosexual sex fits. It is a sin but does NOT get you condemned to hill. Fornication, including homosecual sex, is treated like a white lie, i.e. "You look beautiful in that dress" when you HATE that dress.

Now, the church also dislikes the idea of Homosexual marriage for the Church believes SEX is an important part of any Marriage, but Homosexual sex is not the sex the church sees as part of any marriage. You may disagree with that position, but I am just pointing out the Catholic Church opposes homosexual marriages, and sees acts of homosexility as a venital sin, but also disapproves of discrimination because someone is a homosexual.

It is a weird position, but consistent over the last 1000 years. Please note the Catholic Church has only had a marriage ceremony for about 1000 years, prior to that time period, the Church only recognized local customs as to marriage.. Local Tradition as to marriages OR someone married by the Church Ceremony of marriages were BOTH recognized as valid marriages till the Council of Trent in the 1560s. In the council of Trent, based on Protestant attacks of still recognizing marriages by local custom, the Catholic Church finally said the only valid marriages were ones performed by the church itself (Abolishing Marriages by Local Custom). Since the Council of Trent only applied to Catholic Countries, Protestant England kept local customs as a basis of marriage till the early 1700s, but then only abolish it inside England itself NOT the colonies. When the 13 colonies became independent, they was a movement to require all marriages to be by some sort of Ceremony either civil or religious. Influence from France after 1800 permitted Justices of the Peace the right to marry couples. Most States then abolish marriage by local custom, called a "Common Law Marriage" in the US. These Marriages by Local Custom (Common Law Marriages) are still permitted in some states, Colorado and Texas are two of the ones I know of (Pennsylvania abolished such marriages effective January 1, 2005).