The EnCourage ministry has long been a resource for family
and friends of people who experience same-sex attraction. But in the last few
years, many parents of children who experience gender identity confusion also
have joined, said Father Stephen Schultz, the ministry’s chaplain.
“It’s really picked up among younger people,” said Father
Schultz, who also serves as chaplain of St. Paul VI Catholic High School in
Chantilly. “There’s been times this year that in a week, I’ve gotten two or
three calls from parents of middle school-age children who are reporting sexual
identity dysphoria.”
The topic of transgenderism is very much a part of the
cultural conversation right now, said Father Schultz, “but it feels like a
one-sided conversation. There are these movements that think we can totally
define ourselves and that we are completely self-creating individuals.” The
Catholic Church teaches differently. “Our bodies are a gift and we need to
receive them as a gift and understand ourselves — body and soul — in the light
of God’s love,” he said.
Following consultation with experts in theology, bioethics,
clinical counseling, civil and canonical law, as well as with priests, Bishop
Michael F. Burbidge issued “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender
Ideology,” Aug. 12.
The catechetical resource begins by explaining the Catholic
understanding of the nature of human beings. “To be a human person means to be
a unity of body and soul from the moment of conception,” the document said. As
a result, our God-given bodies are “neither foreign nor a burden, but an
integral part of the person.”
Part of that person is his or her gender. Men and women of
different times, cultures and personalities may express their femininity and
masculinity in a variety of ways, and some may have interests that are more
associated with the opposite sex. But none of that changes their sex as male or
female, the document said.
The differences between men and women are ordered toward
their complementary union in
marriage. “Man and woman were made ‘for each other’ — not
that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion
of persons, in which each can be ‘helpmate’ to the other, for they are equal as
persons,” said the document.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, gender
dysphoria is a psychological condition in which a biological male or female
comes to feel that his or her emotional and/or psychological identity does not
match his or her biological sex and “experiences clinically significant
distress” as a result.
“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,” the document said, and those who experience this issue
should be treated with “respect, justice and charity.”
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 body’s appearance and destroy otherwise
healthy reproductive organs. The church says the way to assist those
experiencing gender dysphoria is to help them come to a true understanding of
their identity.
The rest of the catechetical resource advises Catholics on
how they should speak the truth about transgenderism with love. “The Church has
a special solicitude for those who are suffering and desires to lead them to
the truth and to healing,” said the document. “Thus, when speaking with those
who experience gender dysphoria or who claim a ‘transgender’ identity, it is
essential to listen and seek to understand their experiences. They need to know
they are loved and valued, and that the Church hears their concerns and takes
them seriously.
“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.”
The document encourages people to not use pronouns or names
that do not reflect the truth of a person’s sexuality. “Such use might seem
innocuous and even appear to be an innocent way of signaling love and
acceptance of a person. In reality, however, it presents a profound crisis: We
can never say something contrary to what we know to be true,” said the
document. “To use names and pronouns that contradict the person’s God-given
identity is to speak falsely. The faithful should avoid using
‘gender-affirming’ terms or pronouns that convey approval of or reinforce the
person’s rejection of the truth.”
The resource also recommends that parents be on the lookout
that their children are not exposed to this false ideology in school or online.
“This means the close monitoring of what your children receive via the internet
and social media. Transgender ideology is being celebrated, promoted, and
pushed out over all social media platforms and even children’s programming,” it
said. “Much of your good work and witness can be undone quickly by a child’s
unsupervised or unrestricted internet access.”
Finally, the document addresses those who experience gender
dysphoria with a word of encouragement. “Please know that, although you may
struggle with your body or self-image, God’s unrelenting love for you means
that He loves you in the totality of your body as well. Our basic obligation to
respect and care for the body comes from the fact that your body is part of the
person — you — whom God loves. Christ suffered for our sake, not to exempt us
from all suffering but to be with us in the midst of those struggles. The
Church is here to assist and accompany you on this journey, so that you will
know the beauty of the body and soul that God gave you.”
Father Schultz, who was one of the many people consulted in
the drafting of the catechetical resource, is especially grateful for its
closing words to those experiencing gender dysphoria. Many adults remember how
difficult their middle school and high school years were, he said, and can
empathize with those who feel out of place. “We all went through it, we’re
uncomfortable with our bodies, we’re trying to figure out who we are. We have a
sense that there’s much more to us and we’re trying to figure that out,” he
said. “That’s why love and truth (are) so important for us to grow and mature
and become who we are.
“Any person who is struggling with this, and especially
young people, I think they need to know that there are many people in their
lives who care about them immensely and want to help them to walk in the truth,”
he said. “I don’t think they’re always going to feel this way (about their
bodies) and I think that with patience and with help and with support, they
will come to really know who they are and know how much they are loved by God.”
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