“The positive side is that the pope says it, and that can provide support to priests” already baptising transgender believers, said Jonas Senat, a transgender Catholic who leads a prayer group in the French city of Marseille.
Martin, the US priest, said that “there is, of course, a risk that some dioceses and parishes will continue to exclude them”.
But he said it was “difficult to see” what the “scandal” might be that precludes a baptism, adding: “Frankly, the bigger scandal would be to continue to exclude them from the life of the church.”
The statement came just days after the closing of the general assembly of the Synod, a nearly four-week discussion among bishops and laity on the future of the worldwide Catholic Church.
The meeting highlighted significant geographic and cultural differences on key issues.
But its final conclusions avoided taking a firm position in many areas, including the blessing of homosexual couples, to which conservatives are strongly opposed.
For observers, it was a sign of the pope’s delicate balancing act that seeks to open up the Church while not exacerbating divisions.
One Vatican-watcher, speaking on condition of anonymity, said this week’s statement on baptisms offered “elements which comfort both camps”.
Senat added: “I have the impression that he (Pope Francis) is on a tightrope – on the one hand telling people not to judge, to love and be welcoming, on the other repeating that homosexuality is a sin.”
Source: CNA
