The Pope has told transgender people they should simply accept the body they were given, saying they are a gift from God which should not be “manipulated”. “The acceptance of our bodies as God's gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home,” he has written in a letter to Bishops. “Whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation.” He also expressed a belief that being transgender is somehow related to struggling with same-sex attraction, despite the fact gender identity and sexuality are two completely different things. Pope Francis has had a mixed history on lgbti issues. In 2013 he adopted a friendly tone when it came to gay people, saying "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?” Last year he tried unsuccessfully to get a synod on family issues voted in favour of a proposal for greater openness towards gay people. Since then he has compared transgender people to nuclear weapons, suggested gay parents can’t raise children properly, rallied against marriage equality and blocked France’s proposed ambassador to the Vatican because he is gay.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 22nd June 2015 - 10:44am