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The Vatican has stated that people with transsexual behaviours cannot be godparents.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued this directive in the case of a Spanish transsexual person who sought to be godfather to a nephew.
Alex Salinas, 21, was born female, but holds an ID card identifying her as a male.
Alex is on a waiting list to receive gender reassignment surgery.
When Alex applied to be the “godfather” of her nephew, Bishop Rafael Zornoza Boy of Cádiz and Ceuta asked the Vatican’s doctrinal office what should be done.
There had been media reports of the bishop disallowing Alex’s request, then relenting and allowing it.
Bishop Zorzona issued a statement on September 1, which contained the Vatican response.
The CDF explained that transsexual behaviour “reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one’s own sexuality”.
“Therefore it is evident that this person does not possess the requirement of leading a life according to the faith and in the position of godfather and is therefore unable to be admitted to the position of godfather or godmother,” the congregation added, referring to canon 874 §3 in the Code of Canon Law.
However, the congregation stressed that there is “no discrimination toward (Alex), but only the recognition of an objective lack of the requirements, which by their nature are necessary to assume the ecclesial responsibility of being a godfather”.
Alex said she felt “used and deceived by my own church”, and adding that her sister no longer plans to baptise her child at all.
“They are pushing me away from the Church, I no longer expect anything from them,” Alex said.
Bishop Zorzona stated “the Church welcomes all persons with charity, desiring to help each one in their situation with tender mercy, but without denying the truth she preaches, which is offered to everyone as a path of faith to be freely accepted”.
The bishop also referenced Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si, which states that man “has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will”.
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