Catholic Bishop Takes Action Following Biologically 'Straight' Wedding Of Transgender Couple

An archdiocese in Argentina is undertaking “canonical disciplinary measures” following the celebration of a sacramental marriage of a man and woman who had legally changed their names and gender identity on the National Identity Document in accordance with Argentine Gender Identity Law.
 

The marriage took place on January 28 at Our Lady of Pompeii in the capital city of the Archdiocese of Corrientes, in northern Argentina. One member of the pair, the biologically male Solange Ayala, who is active in LGBTQ causes, told Radio Sudamericana,  “We are a trans couple who were able to receive the blessing of the Church.”   Ayala said that while a church wedding had seemed “impossible,” the couple were able to find a way. “Several people told us that this church was quite open to welcoming the community,”Ayala said in reference to Our Lady of Pompeii Parish.  Ayala is the partner of Isaías, a biological female who identifies as male.

After the story became public, Ayala explained that they were able to have a Catholic marriage because “we are of different biological sexes.” Ayala maintained that the officiating priest had consulted with the Archbishop beforehand. “The friar from the church spoke with the Archbishop, and he told us there was nothing he could object to,” Ayala recounted. 

Ayala said, “We carried out the procedure like any other, we started a marriage file, we approached the friar to talk, and he received us very well.” Ayala went on to say in the radio interview, "We had a chat, he explained the steps to follow and he himself went to speak with the archbishop and told us that there was nothing he could object to against us being able to get married, because if we spoke like this, transparently, biologically we were a man and a woman, then we could be blessed under the sacrament of marriage." Regarding Argentina’s Gender Identity Law, which allows for name changes on official documents, Ayala explained that the parish handled the process correctly. "They knew how to manage it because, even though our baptismal certificates still have our previous names, both mine and Isaías's, when they gave us the new marriage certificate, we signed the paperwork, and so on, it was with the names we have on the document today," Ayala stated.  
 

The Archdiocese of Corrientes has since denied having given its approval for the bestowal of the sacrament, releasing a statement saying that "at this Archdiocese, at no time was the ecclesiastical documentation corresponding to the formalities required for the treatment of these cases received."  
 

The archdiocese affirmed that Christian marriage “requires compliance with certain essential conditions for its validity and licitness, as established by Canon Law and the living tradition of the Church.”  It says that "the omission of these conditions not only distorts the profound meaning of the sacrament, but can also generate confusion in the community of the faithful."  The statement went on to affirm that the bishop will act in accordance with Canon Law to take the "formal canonical disciplinary measures.” The statement also reaffirmed the commitment "of a Church that welcomes, accompanies and walks alongside people, always in fidelity to the Gospel, to the doctrine of the Church and to the legal order that ensures the correct and fruitful celebration of the sacraments."  
 

The parish priest of Our Lady of Pompeii, Friar Fernando Luis Gómez, also issued a statement in which he assured that the parish “acted following the pastoral guidance and ecclesial norm of the ordinary.”  The priest met with the archbishop and determined that “there was nothing he could object to,” as they were members of the opposite sex and “could be blessed under the sacrament of marriage,” the newlywed told Radio Sudamericana.

Ayala told Radio Sudamericana that he has been “a little distant from Catholicism.” However, Solange found it exciting because it showed there was “another way to be active and occupy spaces” by taking part in the marriage ceremony. Ayala said his “comrades in the LGBT collective” joined the wedding, which he said is a dream come true. The priest used the assumed gender-affirming names of the couple for the marriage certificate even while their baptismal names differ, said Ayala. 
 

Friar Gomez announced that henceforth “interview, preparation and verification procedures will be strengthened to safeguard the sanctity of the sacraments and avoid confusion in the community.”