My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last month I flew to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America. I attended not just as a member, but was invited to present a seminar on Sacramental Issues Concerning Transgender Persons. Due to the number of people registered for my breakout session, I was asked to give it twice. The first day had 160 people registered and the second day had 120 registered. Since there were about 400 total members attending the convention, that means almost 75 percent of all those present for the convention attended my seminars, indicating the high interest in this rather novel subject of transgenderism.

“Gender dysphoria” refers to an involuntary psychological condition that may not be desired and may never have been acted upon, while “transgenderism” is a voluntary embrace of a transgender lifestyle. There is a vast difference between the moral and canonical implications for a person who is struggling to deal with gender dysphoria in a healthy way and someone who has embraced a transgender lifestyle and is unrepentant about having done so. The Catholic Church seeks to accompany the former on their path to spiritual wellness while calling the latter to conversion and repentance with the assistance of God’s grace.

Gender dysphoria is a psychological condition in which a biological male or female believes he or she is of the opposite gender or even some other imaginary gender. Proponents of transgender theory argue that gender is fluid and cannot be confined to binary or biological categories of male and female.   

The biological fact is that the sex of a child at birth is clearly male or female, except in rare cases of birth defects. Morally appropriate medical and surgical care may be indicated in such situations. On the other hand, it is harmful and morally objectionable to introduce hormonal therapy in anticipation of sex-reassignment surgery in situations where a child may be suffering from gender dysphoria, that is, confusion about his or her gender identity.

The Church teaches that our identities as male and female are part of God’s good design in Creation, that our bodies and sexual identities are gifts from God, and that we should accept and care for our bodies as they were created. A person cannot change his or her biological sex. The sex of an individual is identified in each cell of the body. A person should accept and seek to live in conformity with his or her sexual identity as determined at birth. 

In January of 2020, I issued a Policy on Gender Identity for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, which included a Pastoral Guide to accompany the policy. The Pastoral Guide starts out by noting that it is of paramount importance to handle such situations with gentle and compassionate pastoral skill and concern. It is also important to recognize the difficulties parents and families face when a child or family member is dealing with gender dysphoria. Family members likely wrestle with a sense of confusion, guilt, and uncertainty over how best to support their loved one; and they face pressure, either directly or indirectly, from the prevailing culture to celebrate and reinforce their loved one’s gender dysphoria and feel compelled to “solve” the problem by surgically and hormonally changing the biological sex of the affected person. Such treatments, however, especially for children, are invasive and disruptive physically, chemically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. For the sake of the family and the loved one, it is imperative to be clear on the reality of human biology as a gift from God that we cannot change. 

In their Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body, the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops summed up the matter quite well, saying, “The search for solutions to problems of human suffering must continue, but it should be directed toward solutions that truly promote the flourishing of the human person in his or her bodily integrity.”

May God give us this grace. Amen.