S
Stephanie_Pauls
Guest
A reader of the Catholic Herald from Roseville, CA asked Father Saunders – a columnist from the magazine:
“I know a man who had a ‘sex change’ operation and is now a ‘woman.’ What moral teaching does the Church give on this subject?” 1,2
Father Saunders quoted a Vatican II document titled: “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.” It stated that:
“Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.”
Finally, he quotes the Catholic Catechism, item 2297:
“Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reason, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.”
The process of sexual reassignment involves major changes to the persons body. For a male-to-female (MTF) transsexual, this involves removal of the penis, testicles, and scrotum. It involves hormone treatment and perhaps surgery to enlarge the breasts, removing part of the Adam’s apple, and/or changing the shape of her face. For a female-to-male (FTM) transsexual it involves the surgical removal of the breasts, uterus, ovaries, and hormone treatment, Fr. Sanders refers to this as:
“… a radical and grotesque mutilation of the body…To destroy organs purposefully that are healthy and functioning, and to try to create imitation organs which will never have the genuineness and functioning of authentic organs is gross and lacks charity. Such surgery which purposefully destroys the bodily integrity of the person must be condemned.”
For matters like marriage and ordination, the church considers only the genetic gender of the individual. Thus a MTF transsexual could not marry a man, even if they were able to obtain a marriage license, because the church would regard this as a same-sex marriage of two males. A MTF transexual might not be able to marry a woman even though the church considered them as an opposite-sex couple. The church has refused to marry some couples in the past who cannot conceive children. Similarly a FTM transsexual would not be eligible for consideration for ordination, no matter what his appearance, personality, talents or knowledge are.
Fr. Saunders notes that transsexualism appears to stem from psychological development, and thus should be treated by psychotherapy. He may not be aware that this has been tried countless thousands of times, apparently without a single successful outcome.
During late 2008, Pope Benedict XVI said in a speech that our gender was a gift from the creator. He denounced those who would try to change it. He said: “It is a question here of faith in the Creator and of listening to the language of creation, the devaluation of which leads to the self-destruction of man and therefore to the destruction of the same work of God.” 3
Sponsored link:
2000-2003: Official, although initially secret, ruling by the Vatican:
After extensive study, the Vatican issued a “sub secretum” (secret) document in the year 2000 to papal representatives in each country. Unfortunately, it became obvious that many bishops did not learn the contents of the document, so copies were sent to the presidents of bishops’ conferences as well. Finally, in 2003 it was discussed in the Catholic News Service. 4
The document allegedly states that:
Bishops must never alter the gender listed in baptismal records to match the individual’s new gender identity. However, a margin note is acceptable.
Persons undergoing sex reassignment surgery are not eligible to marry, to be ordained to the priesthood or enter religious life.
An unknown source stated:
“The key point is that the (transsexual) surgical operation is so superficial and external that it does not change the personality. If the person was [born] male, he remains male. If she was [born] female, she remains female.”
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, sent a brief letter to U.S. bishops in 2002-OCT informing them of the Vatican document and emphasizing the instruction to not alter baptismal records. He wrote:
“The altered condition of a member of the faithful under civil law does not change one’s canonical condition, which is male or female as determined at the moment of birth.”
Bishop Gregory may not have been aware of the existence of intersexual babies who are born with ambiguous genitalia and whose birth gender cannot be determined “at the moment of birth.”
According to the Catholic News Service, the document seems to regard transsexuals as being mentally ill, unstable, and mentally incompetent. It states:
“… that the [gender reassignment surgery or GRS] procedure could be morally acceptable in certain extreme cases if a medical probability exists that it will ‘cure’ the patient’s internal turmoil.”
Religious superiors have: “administrative authority to expel a member of the community who has undergone the procedure.”
“A recommendation of psychiatric treatment and spiritual counseling for transsexual priests. It suggests they can continue to exercise
their ministry privately if it does not cause scandal.”
“… those who undergo sex-change operations are unsuitable candidates for priesthood and religious life because of
mental instability.”
Close
Sounds like to me the church doesnt condemn ALL sex change surgeries.
“I know a man who had a ‘sex change’ operation and is now a ‘woman.’ What moral teaching does the Church give on this subject?” 1,2
Father Saunders quoted a Vatican II document titled: “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.” It stated that:
“Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.”
Finally, he quotes the Catholic Catechism, item 2297:
“Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reason, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.”
The process of sexual reassignment involves major changes to the persons body. For a male-to-female (MTF) transsexual, this involves removal of the penis, testicles, and scrotum. It involves hormone treatment and perhaps surgery to enlarge the breasts, removing part of the Adam’s apple, and/or changing the shape of her face. For a female-to-male (FTM) transsexual it involves the surgical removal of the breasts, uterus, ovaries, and hormone treatment, Fr. Sanders refers to this as:
“… a radical and grotesque mutilation of the body…To destroy organs purposefully that are healthy and functioning, and to try to create imitation organs which will never have the genuineness and functioning of authentic organs is gross and lacks charity. Such surgery which purposefully destroys the bodily integrity of the person must be condemned.”
For matters like marriage and ordination, the church considers only the genetic gender of the individual. Thus a MTF transsexual could not marry a man, even if they were able to obtain a marriage license, because the church would regard this as a same-sex marriage of two males. A MTF transexual might not be able to marry a woman even though the church considered them as an opposite-sex couple. The church has refused to marry some couples in the past who cannot conceive children. Similarly a FTM transsexual would not be eligible for consideration for ordination, no matter what his appearance, personality, talents or knowledge are.
Fr. Saunders notes that transsexualism appears to stem from psychological development, and thus should be treated by psychotherapy. He may not be aware that this has been tried countless thousands of times, apparently without a single successful outcome.
During late 2008, Pope Benedict XVI said in a speech that our gender was a gift from the creator. He denounced those who would try to change it. He said: “It is a question here of faith in the Creator and of listening to the language of creation, the devaluation of which leads to the self-destruction of man and therefore to the destruction of the same work of God.” 3
Sponsored link:
2000-2003: Official, although initially secret, ruling by the Vatican:
After extensive study, the Vatican issued a “sub secretum” (secret) document in the year 2000 to papal representatives in each country. Unfortunately, it became obvious that many bishops did not learn the contents of the document, so copies were sent to the presidents of bishops’ conferences as well. Finally, in 2003 it was discussed in the Catholic News Service. 4
The document allegedly states that:
Bishops must never alter the gender listed in baptismal records to match the individual’s new gender identity. However, a margin note is acceptable.
Persons undergoing sex reassignment surgery are not eligible to marry, to be ordained to the priesthood or enter religious life.
An unknown source stated:
“The key point is that the (transsexual) surgical operation is so superficial and external that it does not change the personality. If the person was [born] male, he remains male. If she was [born] female, she remains female.”
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, sent a brief letter to U.S. bishops in 2002-OCT informing them of the Vatican document and emphasizing the instruction to not alter baptismal records. He wrote:
“The altered condition of a member of the faithful under civil law does not change one’s canonical condition, which is male or female as determined at the moment of birth.”
Bishop Gregory may not have been aware of the existence of intersexual babies who are born with ambiguous genitalia and whose birth gender cannot be determined “at the moment of birth.”
According to the Catholic News Service, the document seems to regard transsexuals as being mentally ill, unstable, and mentally incompetent. It states:
“… that the [gender reassignment surgery or GRS] procedure could be morally acceptable in certain extreme cases if a medical probability exists that it will ‘cure’ the patient’s internal turmoil.”
Religious superiors have: “administrative authority to expel a member of the community who has undergone the procedure.”
“A recommendation of psychiatric treatment and spiritual counseling for transsexual priests. It suggests they can continue to exercise
their ministry privately if it does not cause scandal.”
“… those who undergo sex-change operations are unsuitable candidates for priesthood and religious life because of
mental instability.”
Close
Sounds like to me the church doesnt condemn ALL sex change surgeries.
If you blow it off, then Ill blow off your resourses.