Catholics Ask Whether LGBTQ People Should Be Baptized

Ambivalence about priestly authority and pastoral responses to homosexuals, transvestites, transsexuals, pansexuals, transgenders, and the non-binary has increased during the current papacy. Many Catholics are confused and scandalized when the clergy admit people struggling with sinful behavior proscribed by the Church to the sacraments, including Baptism and the Eucharist.

There are as yet unproved claims coming from Atlanta, Georgia, that at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception a male catechumen was publicly baptised and admitted to the Faith while attired as a woman at an Easter vigil Mass. Repeated emails to Auxiliary Bishop Bernard Schlesinger, Monsignor Henry Gracz, and Rev. Dennis Dorner of the Atlanta archdiocese went unanswered. Photographs available on the parish Facebook page showed Msgr. Gracz baptising a person, who may or may not be a woman, wearing a pink floral sleeveless dress. No confirmation came from the parish or archdiocese as to the identity and/or sex of the person depicted in the photograph and video capturing the baptism and Mass.

New Ways Ministries has identified the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception as one of a number of "Gay and LGBTQ-friendly parishes and faith communities in the United States."

Given the lack of response, I proposed such a baptism of a transsexual or transvestite as a hypothetical situation to several learned theologians and canon lawyers, asking: ‘Can a member of the clergy refuse baptism to anyone, including a catechumen obviously dressed in the attire of the opposite sex?’

None were willing to be named, however, but were helpful in setting out the dilemma faced by lay Catholics and their clergy in accompanying people experiencing gender dysphoria, homosexual inclinations, and the movement known as LGBTQ+. They also spelled out the spiritual and canonical consequences for clergy officiating baptisms and administering other sacraments for the unprepared, as well as for persons who receive baptism and other sacraments but have not amended their lifestyle in accordance with the doctrines of the Church.

To be clear, the ‘LGBTQ+’ acronym refers to Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders, Queers, and Others: a sweeping term that has been accepted by some Catholic clerics to identify a particular class or community which requires special consideration.  That acronym continues to incorporate any number of sexual predilections as represented by the rainbow flag of the “gay” movement, devised in the 1970s, that continues to grow more complex. Numerous parishes in the U.S., for example, have created groups directed to and by individuals who identify as “gay.”

LGBTQ+ and sex change

“Transvestite” or “drag” refers to persons who wear clothing of the opposite sex, while “transsexual” or “trans” refers to persons who have undergone some aspect of transitioning from their natural sex, including hormone treatments and surgical mutilation of genitals, to resemble the opposite sex. Transgender has been cast as an umbrella term for persons who claim to express maleness or femaleness distinctly from their natural sex. For the advocates of transexualism, a person’s natural sex should be changed in or to conform to that person’s self-perceived expression of natural sex, which is “gender.” These terms are highly contentious and appear to be adequately defined only by the people who claim membership in the LGBTQ+ movement.

Changing one’s appearance to the opposite sex can involve administration of hormones and radical surgery to provide simulacra of the opposite sex. Once surgical transformation has been accomplished, costly lifelong hormone therapy is usually necessary. Planned Parenthood, as well as numerous hospitals and medical centers, offer sex change. For example, according to its website, “Planned Parenthood of Michigan is proud to provide gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) to transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive folks.” It goes on to say: “We are committed to providing high quality, reproductive and sexual health care — including abortion — to people of all genders, and to ensuring our patients are treated with compassion and respect.”

LGBTQ+ and the Catholic Church

Holy Scripture, the Magisterium, and sacred Tradition offer clarity and continue to label homosexual acts as sinful or “intrinsically disordered,” as described by the Catechism of the Church, which also calls on Catholics to treat persons with same-sex attraction with dignity and respect. With regard to transgenderism, the Vatican released "Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education," in 2019, which flouted the “ideology” and its goal “to annihilate the concept of ‘nature.’” And a 2021 decree issued in seven languages from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved by Pope Francis, declared that same-sex unions cannot be blessed because God “cannot bless sin.”

The clergy I contacted referred me to the Magisterium and canon law regarding appropriate pastoral responses for baptism from the so-called LGBTQ+ community.

Can an officiant refuse to baptise?

The experts cited Canon 865 of the law of the Church, which prescribes that baptism cannot be refused, especially in the case of imminent death. In the case of the baptism of an adult, he or she must have manifested the intention to receive baptism after receiving adequate instruction in the truths of the faith and duties of a Christian, and tested in the Christian life over the course of his or her catechumenate. In the earliest years of Christianity, the process could have taken several years.

Canon 851 prescribes that “an adult who intends to receive baptism is to be admitted to the catechumenate and, as far as possible, brought through the various stages to sacramental initiation, in accordance with the rite of initiation….”

Thus, apart from the danger of death situation, the officiating priest or deacon would have had ample opportunity to assess the candidate’s awareness of the teachings of the Catholic Church and willingness and ability to live in accordance with those teachings.

One of the canon lawyers affirmed that an officiating priest or deacon can discern whether or not the catechumen was ready for baptism.  If the candidate was not really desiring to receive baptism or was not yet adequately catechised or was not willing to live in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church, said the expert, that clergyman “could (indeed, should) advise the candidate to delay baptism.” 

In the first centuries of the Church, the catechumenate was a rigorous process that could take years, according to St. Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 AD), that lead up to baptism and climaxed with the catechumen’s first Eucharist. In his book The Apostolic Tradition, the saint insisted that newcomers and their sponsors be interviewed. The questions were not so much about motive as about lifestyle, for example: did they have mistresses? Were they brothel-keepers, pagan priests, idolaters, gladiators, city magistrates, or engaged in immoral trade? If they were, they were required to choose a Christian life or be rejected by the Church. If admitted, the catechumens would receive three years of instruction and later queried about their lifestyle.

St. Hippolytus:

“They who are to be set apart for baptism shall be chosen after their lives have been examined: whether they have lived soberly, whether they have honoured the widows, whether they have visited the sick, whether they have been active in well-doing. When their sponsors have testified that they have done these things, then let them hear the Gospel. Then from the time that they are separated from the other catechumens, hands shall be laid upon them daily in exorcism and, as the day of their baptism draws near, the bishop himself shall exorcise each one of them that he may be personally assured of their purity. Then, if there is any of them who is not good or pure, he shall be put aside as not having heard the word in faith; for it is never possible for the alien to be concealed.”

If the candidate was found to meet these requirements, he or she was called to bathe, fast and hold a vigil before Baptism and the Eucharist on the weekend leading to Easter, The Pasch. Even then, the saint prescribed further private instruction for the new Christian or neophyte: “new growth.”

Transgenderism, Transvestism, and baptism

Canon law provides little guidance regarding whether the wearing of clothing of the opposite sex alone can be a hindrance to baptizing a candidate. Because baptism is necessary for salvation (canon 849), some priests and deacons may out of compassion give the candidate the benefit of the doubt and thus proceed with baptism, said one expert. At least one bishop has clarified what priests should do.

Bishop John F. Doerfler of Marquette, Michigan, issued pastoral guidance to his priests in July 2022, prohibiting homosexual and transsexual persons from receiving baptism and the Eucharist unless they repent.  It also prohibited them from serving as godparents at baptisms and confirmations.

In Created in the Image and Likeness of God, Bishop Doerfler called on priests to engage pastorally with "persons with same-sex attraction" and "persons with gender dysphoria," and "lead them step‐by‐step closer to Jesus Christ in a manner that is consistent with the Church’s teaching." According to the statement, so-called trans people should receive "love and friendship" while comparing them to people suffering from anorexia nervosa.

"In this disorder there is an incongruence between how the persons perceive themselves and their bodily reality," the statement read.  "Just as we would refer a person with anorexia to an expert to help him or her, let us also refer persons with gender dysphoria to a qualified counselor to help them while we show them the depth of our love and friendship," it continued.

Gender dysphoria

While estimates about the prevalence of gender dysphoria disorder have varied, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), (2013)only about 0.005 percent to 0.014 percent of males (that is, roughly one in 10,000) and 0.002 percent to 0.003 percent of females (i.e. two or three in every 100,000) are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

It is currently defined as “A marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and natal gender of at least 6 months in duration” and manifested by at least two of six desires or convictions, which include: “A strong desired to be rid of one’s primary and/or secondary sex characteristics” and a “strong desire for the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender.”

This represented a change in definitions and the labeling of the condition. The Fourth Edition of the DSM referred to it as “gender identity disorder” and defined it as “strong and persistent cross-gender identification (not merely a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex).” It goes on to say: “In adolescents and adults, the disturbance is manifested by symptoms such as preoccupation with getting rid of primary and secondary sex characteristics (e.g., request for hormones, surgery, or other procedures to physically alter sexual characteristics to simulate the other sex) or belief that he or she was born the wrong sex,” and “The disturbance is not concurrent with a physical intersex condition.” This was a re-definition of what the DSM termed “transsexualism” until 2005.

The use of “transgender” has been used as an umbrella term since the 1990s, which includes persons experiencing gender dysphoria and those seeking hormone replacement therapy and surgical removal of genitals and their surgical transformation into the simulacra of genitals resembling those of the opposite sex. 

Response to Bishop Doerfler

Bishop Doerfler’s guidance says homosexual and transgender people can participate in the sacraments if they repent. This means that they would have to terminate sexual relationships and live as their natural sex. However, the guidance says people who have undergone "physical changes to the body" are not required to reverse them.

Widely reported by the media, Bishop Doerfler’s guidance was slammed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Jesuit Fr. James Martin, and even the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan (ECUSA).  "It's a cruel policy that excludes LGBTQ Catholics from the body of Christ. I'm entirely opposed to it as I believe it runs contrary to the Gospel and to the spirit of inclusion that we find in Jesus' ministry," said Jason Steidl, according to the National Catholic Reporter, which identified Steidl as a “gay Catholic theologian who teaches religious studies.” The newspaper reported that Steidel asserted that Bishop Doerfler’s document  "reveals a lot of things about where the Catholic Church is at right now," while revealing an “increasing divide between popular culture, where grassroots Catholics are coming from, and what the hierarchy teaches is revealed from God." Steidl added, "I think that separation is especially clear within this document."

There are priests who have been active in the LGBTQ movement, for example: Fr. Robert Carter S.J. – co-founder of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1973, Fr. Daniel A. Helminiak – author of What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality. The clear teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal clarifications and decrees notwithstanding, some parishes in the U.S. have been dubbed “gay” friendly because of their approach to people experiencing same-sex attraction or who are transgender. According to New Ways Ministry, which describes itself as a “Catholic outreach that educates and advocates for equity, inclusion, and justice for LGBTQ+ persons,” among them are: San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer of San Francisco; New York City’s St. Paul the Apostle, and Atlanta’s Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Exercising prudence

Prudence has been described as by no means the most elevated of the virtues, but it is certainly necessary, even among clerics. The Catholic Encyclopedia paraphrases St. Thomas Aquinas in describing the exercise of prudence (foresight): “to take counsel, i.e. to cast about for the means suited in the particular case under consideration to reach the end of any one moral virtue; to judge soundly of the fitness of the means suggested; and, finally, to command their employment. If these are to be done well they necessarily exclude remissness and lack of concern…”

It says, “adapting means to an end does not always imply prudence. If the end happens to be a vicious one, a certain adroitness or sagacity may be exhibited in its pursuit. This, however, according to St. Thomas, will only deserve to be called false prudence and is identical with that referred to in Rom., viii, 6, ‘the wisdom of the flesh is death.’"

One expert in canon law responded that priests and deacons should exercise prudence when approached by actively homosexual or transsexual persons for baptism. According to a theologian, sometimes a compassionate act can cause scandal in the canonical sense of the term—not ‘upset,’ but to mislead people into thinking something that is not good is good. If popular consternation (admiratio populi) arises because of such a baptism, it can be a decisive argument against doing what might otherwise be compassionate. The expert said that the bishop of the diocese where such a baptism took place would be in a position to decide whether it was prudent for a clergyman to baptize a transgender or transvestite person. He also theorized that if such a baptism has taken place, it was probably authorized.

Averring Bishop Doerfler’s admonitions, the expert said that the world promotes the LGBTQ+ ideology, which contradicts how the human person is understood by Holy Scripture and the Church. This ideology posits that the “real self” of a human being has nothing to do with the body and that the body is a tool for the expression of the “real self.” For transgenderism, maleness and femaleness are but social constructs that have been foisted upon individuals by society and can be flouted by individuals. Thus, the expert wrote, the baptism of a transvestite can appear to be a celebration of LGBTQ ideology rather than an act of compassion for a wounded sister or brother. The expert averred also that “ALL of us are wounded.”

Pope Francis and ‘crime’ of homosexuality

Advocates of a “compassionate” approach to homosexual persons presenting themselves for the sacraments have claimed that certain statements by Pope Francis and other Church authorities offer support for their position. "Being homosexual isn't a crime," Pope Francis said in a widely televised interview with AP in January. Acknowledging that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world, especially Africa, support outlawing homosexual behavior, he said that they should change and recognize the dignity of every person. “These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” the Pope said, and should display “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.”  Francis said of homosexual behavior: “It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.” He added, “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, who leads the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) responded with a series of tweets heralding the pope’s interview and claimed, “Today’s statements from Pope Francis are a game changer in the fight to decriminalize LGBTQ people and also illustrate the work that needs to be done with religious leaders to finally show that being LGBTQ is not a sin.”

Not long after his AP interview, Pope Francis clarified, “When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault." He wrote, “As you can see, I was repeating something in general. I should have said, 'It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage.'"

"This is to speak of 'the matter' of sin, but we know well that Catholic morality not only takes into consideration the matter, but also evaluates freedom and intention; and this, for every kind of sin. And I would tell whoever wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong," the pope wrote.

Reaction to Pope Francis

“Another month, another papal interview, another spate of confusion,” commented journalist Philip Lawler about the pope’s statements, adding, “Pope Francis made a series of puzzling and/or misleading statements about topics including homosexuality, priestly abuse, the Vatican’s policy toward China, and papal resignation.” The editor of Catholic World News wrote that a “crucial distinction” the pope missed was “not between a sin and a crime but between a temptation and a sin.”

“Still the overall thrust of the Pope’s remarks is clear, when he says that bishops who supported bans on homosexuality ‘have to have a process of conversion.’ The AP story, suggesting that the Pope wants the Church to adopt a more welcoming attitude toward homosexuals, is accurate. What is not accurate is the Pope’s own treatment of the issue,” Lawler wrote.

Warnings to Clergy

When asked for comment on the hypothetical (or otherwise) baptism of persons demonstrably in a lifestyle at odds with the Christian life, a canon lawyer said that Holy Scripture, the fathers of the Church, holy tradition, and canon law provide far better guidance to Catholics than any individual priest or expert. He called on Catholics with questions over the admissibility of the baptism of transsexual, transgender, or homosexual adults to avail themselves of the teachings of the Church. The warnings to ministers of the sacraments, and those who receive sacraments, are ancient and quite clear, he said, adding that automatic excommunication is what they risk. Bishops – their “overseers” – have the responsibility of warning clergy who have lapsed into heresy or schism.

For example, according to Part II: The Sacraments of the Catechism of Trent of 1264, ministers of the sacraments “represent in the discharge of their sacred functions, not their own, but the person of Christ be they good or bad, they validly perform and confer the Sacraments” provided that they “intend to do what the Church does in their administration.” However, the catechism also provides a stern warning to clerics who “administer them unworthily.”

The Catechism of Trent says:

“But let not pastors, or other ministers of the Sacraments, hence infer that they fully acquit themselves of their duty, if, disregarding integrity of life and purity of morals, they attend only to the administration of the Sacraments in the manner prescribed. True, the manner of administering them demands particular diligence; yet this alone does not constitute all that pertains to that duty. It should never be forgotten that the Sacraments, although they cannot lose the divine efficacy inherent in them, bring eternal death and perdition to him who dares administer them unworthily.” [The emphasis is mine]

The same canon law expert said ministers of the Sacraments engaging in a public sacrilege of proclaiming transexualism may be considered apostates, heretics, or schismatics and thereby incur excommunication and penalties, including dismissal from the priesthood, if they continue in the practice for a long duration. Regarding clergy who cause scandal to the faithful, he referred to Canon 1369 in the current Code of Canon Law which says:

“A person who in a public show or speech, in published writing, or in other uses of the instruments of social communication utters blasphemy, gravely injures good morals, expresses insults, or excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church is to be punished with a just penalty.”

The canon lawyer said that canons 1364 and 1365 may also have been breached by the baptism of transgender, homosexual, and/or transsexual adults.  In the Code of Canon Law, Book VI: Sanctions of the Church, Part II: Penalties for Individual Delicts, Title I: Delicts against Religion and the Unity of the Church, Canon 1364 says that any apostate, heretic, or schismatic is automatically excommunicated, while a priest can be dismissed from the clergy if the “long duration or the gravity of scandal demands it…” Canon 1365 says any person who engages in “prohibited participation in sacred rites [baptism for example] is to be punished with a just penalty.”

Also, according to canon 1379 warns that a priest “deliberately administers a sacrament to those who are prohibited from receiving it is to be punished with suspension, to which other penalties …may be added,” which may include excommunication.

Consequences of Unworthy Participation in Sacraments

If a person in an actively homosexual lifestyle, or any adulterous, sexually perverse, or other practice condemned by the Church receives a sacrament, including Baptism and the Most Holy Eucharist, without approaching the Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation, he or she thereby commits a mortal sin, according to the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Catechism of Council of Trent (1545).

Long before the Council of Trent, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote in the Summa:

By Baptism a man dies to the old life of sin, and begins a certain newness of life, according to Romans 6:4: "We are buried together with" Christ "by Baptism into death; that, as Christ is risen from the dead . . . so we also may walk in newness of life."

Consequently, just as, according to Augustine (Serm. cccli), he who has the use of free-will, must, in order to die to the old life, "will to repent of his former life"; so must he, of his own will, intend to lead a new life, the beginning of which is precisely the receiving of the sacrament. Therefore on the part of the one baptized, it is necessary for him to have the will or intention of receiving the sacrament.

There are also warnings for clergy who are not personally disposed to receive the Holy Eucharist, and those who have improperly baptized catechumens. One of the canon law experts referred  to the current Code of Canon Law, Book IV: Function of the Church, Part I: The Sacraments, title III: The Most Holy Eucharist, Article 2: Participation in the Most Holy Eucharist, canon 915, which says:  

“Canon 915. Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”

“Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.”

Should the newly baptized transsexual or homosexual adult, or any other person not properly disposed, also receive the Eucharist, he or she would therefore commit a mortal sin, said the experts, and should not approach again without being availed of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed, one of the canon lawyers explained that purpose of the Sacraments is sanctification, which requires that there be a willingness to change. He said, “It is an established principle of moral law that if a person is unwilling to change or repent and the sacrament is valid, it will do no good. More than that, if is done willingly and

Three terms about the administration of a sacrament that must be considered here: validity, liciety, and fruitfulness, he said. “A priest should go for all three,” he said. ‘Valid’ means that it occurs, ‘licit’ means that it happened according to the law, and ‘fruitful’ refers to the grace that God wants to confer with the sacrament. Therefore, a sacrament can be both valid but not licit. As an example, a  laicized, suspended, or excommunicated priest is not authorized to celebrate Mass, but if he does so, the Mass is is valid but illicit.

Validity, he said, is an either/or question, as would be whether or not a person is baptized, for example, in the name of the Trinity, with natural water, and with the intention on the part of the minister and catechumen to receive it.

Liceity, he said, lies along a spectrum. To illustrate how a sacrament can be both valid and illicit, he said that a Mass is valid if the Consecration takes place, but it would be illicit if the celebrant preaches heresy and is dressed as a clown. It would be sacrilegious, he said.

In the hypothetical case presented to him, the baptism would be valid if the basic essentials mentioned above were used. To illustrate how the fruitfulness of such a baptism may have been limited, he compared it to the Sacrament of Matrimony conferred while one or both of the spouses were in a state of mortal sin. The marriage would valid, but since it was celebrated in the state of mortal sin, the marriage would not be given the grace intended by God because the spouses have cut themselves off from grace. It would be a sacrilege if it is deliberate because it rejects the intended grace, and the sacrament will not give what it is supposed to give.

In a case where the parties in a sacrament [e.g. Baptism], who adhere to transexualism or transgenderism, are openly mocking and rejecting the Catholic faith, even while professing it and proclaiming it, he said, there is therefore a rejection of the truth and a mockery of the Faith done in the context of a sacrament. Such a mockery could also lead scandal among other believers, he said.

As for the transgender person baptized in the hypothetical case, the canon lawyer said he hoped that the baptism was received in ignorance and may be preserved from mortal sin. However, it would appear that such a baptism is objectively a sacrilegious act by both the officiating ministers and the catechumens. Morally, if a person is refusing to repent and conform to Jesus Christ, may have a valid sacrament that can do them no good and could in fact damn the soul.

The grace and danger of the Sacraments

Long before the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church(1992) and the Council of Trent (1545), Saint Thomas Aquinas composed Lauda Sion Salvatorem in 1264, a sequence which Pope Urban IV requested for the feast of Corpus Christi. According to a canon lawyer, it expresses the doctrine of the Church regarding the institution of the Eucharist. It is preserved in the Roman Missal of 1570 and continues to be chanted to this day as a solemn Eucharistic hymn.

In the sequence, Aquinas sets out the consequences for those who partake of the Eucharist without being properly disposed, or in other words, without the benefit of having had sacramental confession and absolution with true repentance and a clear resolve to avoid sin.

Both the wicked and the good

Eat of this celestial Food:

But with ends how opposite!

Here 't is life: and there 't is death:

The same, yet issuing to each

In a difference infinite.

Martin Barillas is a retired diplomat. He is the author of 'Shaken Earth', available on Amazon. Signed copies can be obtained by writing mmbarillas AT sbcglobal.net