Not only to speak the truth but to explain why we believe what we do and to give Catholics the language they need to explain this to others.. The transgender issue presents a particular challenge to the handing on of the faith. A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology According to this view, human identity is self-defined and becomes the choice of the individual.[1] Consequently, our culture is experiencing a rapid rise in the number of persons claiming an identity contrary to their biological sex. Called to the Priesthood. That love is inseparable from the truth of who you are as one created in Gods image, reborn as a child of God, and destined for His glory. The prevailing secular culture encourages these individuals to choose a new name, go by opposite sex pronouns, and turn to chemical or surgical interventions that alter the bodys appearance and destroy otherwise healthy reproductive organs. The truth of Christs Church confirms us in the knowledge of this oneness so often obscured by our brokenness. View "A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology", Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge (CNS photo/Bob Roller) ARLINGTON, Va. The topic of transgenderism is discussed routinely in the news, on television shows and in schools. (2015). So much of our faith rests on the natural truths of the human person, the body/soul unity, and the complementarity of man and woman. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This important document makes clear the teaching of the Church and how it should be applied, charitably and confidently, in Catholic institutions as well as in the broader culture. Second, and in keeping with the authoritative witness of Scripture (cf. At its core, this belief in a transgender identity rejects the significance of the sexed body and seeks cultural, medical, and legal validation of the persons self-defined identity-an approach called gender affirmation. Culturally, these claims have brought challenges to law, medicine, education, business, and religious freedom. Twitter feed is not available at the moment. Please know that, although you may struggle with your body or self-image, Gods unrelenting love for you means that He loves you in the totality of your body as well. Although the law of gradualness18might prompt us to discern the best time to communicate the fullness of the truth, in no circumstances can we confirm a person in error. The body is not a limitation or confinement but one with the soul in the life of grace and glory to which the human person is called. Like many others, you may feel alienated from your body, as though you are supposed to have a different one. Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God. June 6, 2023. But none of us should feel alone or abandoned in his or her struggles. Aleteia. Christ suffered for our sake, not to exempt us from all suffering but to be with us in the midst of those struggles. Two Bold and True Responses to the Dangers of Gender Ideology Email or phone: Password: Forgot account? Address to the German Bundestag. At the same time, a person who deliberately rejects his or her given identity or the sexed body and seeks harmful medical or surgical interventions is pursuing a path that is objectively wrong and harmful on many levels. Goodness/Gift of the Human Person and Human Sexuality. In reality, however, it presents a profound crisis: We can never say something contrary to what we know to be true. At other times it involves a medical or surgical change: The person seeks chemical or surgical interventions that alter the bodys function and appearance and even impair or destroy otherwise healthy reproductive organs. Current Bulletin. It involves speaking and interacting with that person in an untruthful manner. [2], Let us not play with truths. But none of us should feel alone or abandoned in his or her struggles. This condition was labeled by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013 as gender dysphoria.16From a theological perspective, the experience of this interior conflict is not sinful in itself but must be understood as a disorder reflecting the broader disharmony caused by original sin. Bishop of Arlington, General Inquiries Indeed, to disregard or withhold information about the harms of pursuing transition or about the benefits of alternative, psychotherapeutic treatments constitutes a failure in both justice and charity. Sexual difference is at the heart of family life. In reality, however, it presents a profound crisis: We can never say something contrary to what we know to be true. Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine: Cretella, M., et al. Because the body tells us about ourselves, our biological sex does in fact indicate our inalienable identity as male or female. (2017, September 1). What is new in our times, however, is the growing cultural acceptance of the erroneous claim that some people, including children and adolescents, are in the wrong body and therefore must undergo gender transition, either to relieve distress or as an expression of personal autonomy. 364) "The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit: Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Still, you cannot fulfill this vocation by yourselves. Be fruitful and multiply, God told our first parents. Denigration or bullying of any person, including those struggling with gender dysphoria, is to be rejected as completely incompatible with the Gospel. Our bodies are a gift and we need to receive them as a gift and understand ourselves body and soul in the light of Gods love, he told the Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Gender Dysphoria. They should seek out trustworthy clinicians for sound counsel. No Church document better explains and defends the Churchs timeless teaching about the family than Humanae Vitae. Bishop Burbidge Is Right About Gender Ideology A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology. Resources on Bioethics Topics: Gender Identity & Being Transgender. The Church does not teach that people who experience gender dysphoria or confusion are immoral or bad. I pray that all who read this catechetical resource may be enlightened by the foundational truths it conveys in all charity and drawn closer to God, who made us and desires that we experience his joy through the vocation he has given us. A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology Conveying foundational truths in all charity, Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington issued this catechetical document in August 2021 after consultation with experts in theology, bioethics, clinical counseling, civil and canonical law, as well as with priests throughout the Diocese. Bishop Burbidge releases "A - St. Philip Catholic Church Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Our regions public schools provide an excellent education in many regards. Another strong source of misinformation about the nature of the person, and the meaning of the body is, regrettably, the public education system. This leads to this error. Jersey Catholic News. The human soul is created to animate one particular body. Early contraception and its rejection of abortion, 3. There are many who have walked that path before you only to regret it. Parents are encouraged to find strength and wisdom through the grace of the Sacraments of Communion and Confession, and to seek pastoral support in the parish or diocese. In addition to your good example and teaching, raising your children also requires vigilance against dangerous ideas and influences. Find out in this new catechetical publication from the Diocese of Arlington! To affirm someone in an identity at odds with biological sex or to affirm a persons desired transition is to mislead that person. What's the Catholic position on this? Log In. Indeed, charity always requires the clear presentation of the truth. In this encyclical, promulgated on July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI continues to send a saving message to a secular and suffering world. In addition, gender-affirming medical or surgical interventions cause significant, even irreparable, bodily harm to children and adolescents. It is important to note that there may be a variety of ways in which a person may express his or her sexual identity as male or female, according to the norms and practices of a particular time or culture. By PRI Staff / September 1, 2021 "As a Catholic Church, we have a sacred duty and obligation out of our love for our young people and God's family to speak the truth," writes Arlington, Virginia Bishop Michael Burbidge, introducing his "Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology." Christ suffered for our sake, not to exempt us from all suffering but to be with us in the midst of those struggles. Pacholczyk, Tadeusz. "Pashas, Generals and Dragomans - A Case Study on Frontier Diplomacy: The Massacre in Kecskemet (1707) and Ottoman-Habsburg Negotiations", Turkey&Kosovo The Role of Diplomacy in the History of the Balkans, (ed. Authentic accompaniment requires remaining firm in the truth of the human person while patiently guiding children towards that truth. (2019). Affirming a childs distorted self-perception or supporting a childs desire to be someone other than the person (male or female) God created, gravely misleads and confuses the child about who he or she is. Pope John Paul II. ( Genesis 1:26 ) Insofar as the problems were correctible, we have corrected them here. American Journal of Psychiatry, 177(8), 769-772. To use names and pronouns that contradict the persons God-given identity is to speak falsely. Their complementary union serves as an icon of the marriage between Christ and the Church (cf. Moreover, a person may have atypical interests, but this does not change the persons sexual identity as either male or female. 3. Thus, so-called transitioning might change a persons appearance and physical traits (hormones, breasts, genitalia, etc.) Pope Francis on celibacy, child abusers, same-sex unions, secularism, and traditionalists. In addition, gender-affirming medical or surgical interventions cause significant, even irreparable, bodily harm to children and adolescents. And imagine Satans horror when he saw this: God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female He created them. (Genesis 5:2), NO, NO, Satan shouts. The mandate to speak on this issue clearly and lovingly is greater than ever, he said. This month we celebrate the anniversary of an important pastoral letter written by Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge. Read Document Here. (2016, July 27). Dedication Weekend Special Events. He also released policies relating to the human person and gender ideology to be followed in Catholic schools and faith formation and youth ministry programs. In this regard, we must recall, Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral.17Christians must always speak and act with both charity and truth. Nothing can substitute for the school of the family. It is not harsh or judgmental to decline to use such language. These truths about the human person, accessible to natural reason, attain an extraordinary dignity and calling in the Christian view of the world. A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology 15. (1981). Categories: General. Although some advocates justify gender affirmation as necessary to reduce the risk of suicide, such measures appear to offer only temporary psychological relief, and suicidal risks remain significantly elevated following gender-transitioning measures.[19]. 29. (2018). Catholic News . [23] Gender transition is not the solution. You are the first and the best teachers of your children. 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