Archbishop Compares Transgender Identities with Substance Abuse, Encourages Compassionate Ministry
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City
A U.S. archbishop has published a letter of “pastoral guidance” on transgender issues in which he claims gender diverse identities are the result of Original Sin and comparable to substance abuse. In the same text, he also calls on church ministers to be more compassionate and understanding of transgender people.
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City issued the 14-page letter, titled “On the Unity of the Body and Soul: Accompanying Those Experiencing Gender Dysphoria,” at the end of April. Coakley claims the letter is primarily “pastoral guidance,” through which he will engage “the transgender movement” in light of church teaching.
From the outset, the archbishop condemns transgender identities in harsh terms, suggesting that they are the result of the Fall. Coakley writes:
“Since the Fall. . .We seek goods, including identities, that fall far short of our ultimate Good in God. . .It is not hard to see this reality all around us. We fill ourselves and our lives with work, the desire for power, sex, alcohol, the internet and constant noise in a futile attempt to satisfy the aching in our soul, or alternatively, as a way of numbing the pain of not finding satisfaction. Some of those suffering from gender dysphoria seek respite from their pain by identifying as the opposite sex or some ‘non-binary’ variation.”
Later, Coakley, who is secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, attempts to separate “the transgender movement” from trans people, who he refers to as those “suffering from gender dysphoria.” This alleged movement is “particularly effective among young people,” evident by the fact more of them are coming out as trans or nonbinary. The archbishop claims:
“The transgender movement is rooted in a modern form of dualism where body and soul/mind/spirit are separate realities. In this view, the human person is the immaterial inhabitant of a physical host. The material body therefore can be manipulated in service to the immaterial soul/mind/spirit. Where the transgender movement sees a disconnect between the material and immaterial, Catholics see a beautiful unity as described earlier in this letter.”
The archbishop also signals the need for compassion and accompaniment. Coakley cites statistics which reveal the high levels of suicidality and violence trans people face, realities which he calls “alarming” and adds that Catholics must “categorically condemn all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against them.”
He also cautions against “extremes” in which people “ignore the pain of the person and dogmatically assert that biological sex is the end of the conversation,” though this position is contrasted against the alleged extreme of affirmation.
More concretely, Coakley dedicates sections to trans people, to their parents, and to “Catholics and all people of good will.” For the first, the archbishop emphasizes God’s love and encourages people to seek help from the church. For the parents, Coakley writes:
“I encourage parents to become curious and to ask gently about what their child is experiencing. The idea isn’t to interrogate but to better understand. . .If a child doesn’t want to engage in such conversations, please respect that choice, but continue to check in and offer to listen. If a child believes a parent will listen with empathy and without judgment, he or she will be more likely to share experiences and concerns.”
He also suggests that, instead of respecting a child’s chosen name or pronouns, parents could use “nicknames or terms of endearment (champ, ace, sweetheart, etc.) [to] ease some of the relation tension.” Coakley likewise discourages any attempts at gender-affirming care, making false claims that gender transitions do not improve trans people’s health and wellbeing.
Before Coakley concludes with a Marian prayer, he writes once more against the so-called transgender movement:
“The movement is, simply put, an evil infecting our world in this time and place, and it must be rejected completely even as we love unconditionally those bound in its snares.”
Archbishop Coakley’s letter on gender identity emphasizes compassion in ways that many U.S. bishops have failed to do when publishing documents on gender. However, Coakley ultimately falls short of exhibiting true compassion and accompaniment by relying on harmful theology and disproven practices. Employing extreme rhetoric, like referring to trans people as “an evil infecting our world,” is irresponsible. Conflating diverse gender identities with sin and substance abuse negates much of attempted pastoral guidance that follows. In the end, Coakley’s letter is another example of what happens when bishops fail to listen sufficiently to trans and nonbinary people and learn before teaching.
—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, May 5, 2023
The arguments the archbishop makes against the transgender movement and trans people are identical to the ones that Catholic leaders used to make against gay people and our liberation movement. But now that we gay people are more accepted in the west, bishops and other Catholic leaders in the US wouldn’t dare use such inflammatory language about gays. How sad that they never learn from experience!
Robert,
You are amazingly full of grace in your comments on this recent “guidance” letter.
Thank you for reminding me that my immediate angry-disappointment at the Bishop’s letter is not the only way respond.
These officials who claim to understand the realities of LGBTQ/Trans lives are overthinking the plights of what they deal with everyday. When you don’t listen, get to know the other, have empathy and compassion for anyone who is Excluded from the Love and Grace Love of God, how can you be of HELP to them. Writing words that cast aspersions isn’t helpful. Writing Catechisms from non/LGBTQ/Trans points of view isn’t helpful either. I am thinking that only Inclusion in the community of God can be helpful, remembering Jesus’ actions at the Well, with the Prodigal Son, Forgiveness.
BVTQ/Trans
His and others in the episcopate write in a manner that suggests that they know nothing of the true reality they purport to be experts on. There is a major corpus of humanities knowledge on the subject available to humbly educate oneself from. They insist on speaking for those experiencing this reality and refuse to listen to them to learn. They purport to know better than the persons concerned about their complex and profound realities – human and spiritual-, as has been and continues to be done about other members of the LGBTQ+ communities. His and others’ ‘compassion and accompaniment’ feels similar to politicians who run in with ‘thoughts and prayers’ after mass shootings and then do nothing to stop the reality of gun violence from assault weapons. Many if not most religious official teachings are responsible to a significant degree for the societal reaction we see to trans and non binary persons, and that is in large part the cause for the emotional suffering and suicidality he then wants to be compassionate about. I would beg them to keep to themselves their political discourse disguised in ‘godspeak’… silence may do less harm.
I’m amazed by the certainty expressed by Roman clergy on a subject they know nothing about. They’re always right, even when they’re wrong.
The Roman Church has pulled this stunt before, only to apologize centuries later. When will they learn from past mistakes?