Bishops in England and Wales Condem Gender-Affirming Care in Pastoral Guidance

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales gathered in 2022

Catholic LGBTQ+ news was once much less frequent, but these days, it is hard to keep up with all of it! This week, Bondings 2.0 is publishing stories from this summer (or winter for our Southern hemisphere readers) that have not yet been covered, but are notable and worthwhile covering in detail. Today’s post covers news from England.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales (CBCEW) have published a new document on gender identity which encourages pastoral accompaniment, and also condemns “gender theory” and gender-affirming care. The statement, though, has been criticized, in part, by a London-based Catholic pastoral organization which ministers with LGBT+ people.

The 11-page document is entitled “Intricately Woven by the Lord: A Pastoral Reflection on Gender,” and is divided into four parts: a critique of so-called “Gender Identity Theory,” an outlining of Catholic teaching, pastoral considerations, and a conclusion. (The bishops also released a three-page summary text.)

In the first part, the bishops state that “every person is infinitely loved and loveable,” “has innate dignity,” and is “something of a mystery – to themselves, and to others,” but not to God. They explain the guidance is aimed at helping Catholic parents, transgender and questioning people, and the wider world better understand “diverse and confusing views” about gender and sexuality.

Early on, there is a weak emphasis on welcome. The bishops quickly move to condemn contemporary ideas about gender which “have found wide acceptance and can easily dominate discourse.” People with anti-LGBTQ+ views are being “cancelled or even losing their jobs” due to an “ideology” that leads people to think identity is “a choice of the individual, one which can also change over time.” Citing the Vatican decleration Dignitas Infinita, the bishops acknowledge “it is difficult to speak of a coherent movement” of transgender advocates, yet the advocates’ ideas “are generally at odds with a holistic understanding of the human person.”

Part two offers a traditionalist view of Catholic anthropology, and tries to bridge the gap with trans people by saying, “We all experience dissonance and dilemmas.” The bishops then condemn gender-affirming care for the first time:

“We are to honour our body resisting medical interventions, intended to ‘reassign’ gender where these destroy the body’s fertility or sexual function. Views that promote a misleading view of the human body are deeply concerning as they foster such a limited and flawed view of the human person as to serve the detriment of the good of the individual.”

Part three moves into a discussion of “genuine pastoral accompaniment.” For the bishops, pastoral care is “sacred ground” where there should be no judgement. On gender, this care “takes place within the context of ever-changing and polarising developments in the political, cultural and commercial spheres,” and accompaniment should be “tailored to the needs of each individual person” while adhering to “some broader practical principles.”

To transgender people, the bishops state: “You are still our brothers and sisters. We cannot be indifferent to your struggle and the path you may have chosen. The doors of the Church are open to you, and you should find, from all members of the Church, a welcome that is compassionate, sensitive and respectful.”

For pastoral ministers, the bishops encourage “a clear understanding of the Catholic vision” and also formation so “the testimonies and lived experiences of those struggling with gender identity can be properly understood and responded to in a way which honours their perception of reality, particularly when painful.”

The bishops then challenge gender-affirming care for a second time, writing: “We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug based medical intervention that harms the body. Nor can we legitimise or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to live according to the divine plan.” The bishops state that the goal of pastoral accompaniment is helping people accept their assigned sex, though the prelates admit “these decisions will be achieved step by step,” promoting a gradualist framework.

The bishops encourage “care in the choice of language used” according to the “complex situation of social interaction.” While “sensitivity and a desire to show respect are important,” and no one should be intentionally disrespected, Catholics should “resist the temptation to adopt the language of gender ideology in our institutions.”

Addressing youth who experience gender dysphoria, the bishops resist both medical and social transitioning, as the latter “can set a child on a path towards later medical interventions.” The bishops claim that “many” transgender people “do not find ultimate happiness with this transition.”

In the document’s conclusion, readers are encouraged to walk “alongside people with compassion and sensitivity, treating each person with ‘the maximum of respect’.” Such accompaniment may be “long and demanding,” but “opens for all a joyful acceptance of self as a gift of God,” which is the only way to “come to know and love ourselves, others and God and truly pray.”

LGBT+ Catholics Westminster pushed back against the document. The group affirmed CBCEW’s “affirmation of trans peoples’ dignity” and “share the bishops’ recognition of ‘the need for careful discernment and delicate, compassionate pastoral accompaniment.”

However, the statement notes that several people wrote in protest to Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Bishop David Oakley of Northampton. LGBT+ Catholics Westminster’s statement continues, noting it had produced its own guidance on gender identity issues previously:

“[We] regret that there was no consultation with LGBT+ Catholics in the formulation of Intricately Woven by the Lord over the past two years of its development. 

“Some of the [letter to bishops] signatories took part in a previous ‘Listening Process’ on trans concerns, initiated on behalf of the CBCEW, and now call for a further ‘opportunity to engage in dialogue with the bishops in this area, to help ensure that their aspirations towards the adequate pastoral accompaniment of trans people is achieved.’ 

“Following participation in the earlier ‘Listening Process’ LGBT+ Catholics Westminster published a resource leaflet, Wonderfully Created – An introduction to being transgender and the Catholic Church. This is available for any parishes seeking to welcome the presence of trans Catholics, parents and families.”

Previously, Dr. Nicolete Burbach, a transgender theologian at the London Jesuit Centre, wrote for Bondings 2.0 about the relationship between Dignitas Infinita and the English and Welsh bishops’ document in their similar trans-negative approaches and restrictions.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, August XX, 2024