The root of the Christian Church is the Bible. However, sometimes the church gets caught up in the culture and wanders from its roots. It is always good news when the church speaks out about things in the culture that conflict with Biblical teaching. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recently spoke out on one of those issues.
On Thursday, The Daily Caller reported:
Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, to ban the use of transgender medical procedures in Catholic hospitals across the nation.
Although most Catholic hospitals were already not offering such procedures, the change became permanent as the bishops issued an “authoritative guidance” for the healthcare facilities, according to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR). They approved an updated text for the Ethics and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services in a vote with 206 in favor, 8 voting no and 7 abstaining.
Part III of the text tells Catholic healthcare providers not to offer interventions “that aim to transform sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex,” according to the NCR.
The directive instructs workers to “employ all appropriate resources to mitigate the suffering of those who experience gender incongruence or gender dysphoria,” while respecting “the fundamental order of the human body.”
The article concludes:
“Let us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator. We are creatures, and not omnipotent,” Francis (Pope Francis) continued. “Creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created.”
The Catholic Health Association of the United States said it will review the directives and called them consistent with its policy, noting 1 in 7 U.S. patients receive care from a Catholic hospital daily, according to a statement .
“Catholic providers will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender,” the statement continues. “We will continue to treat these individuals with dignity and respect, which is consistent with Catholic social teaching and our moral obligation to serve everyone, particularly those who are marginalized.”
All of us need to treat everyone who is transgender with respect. We also need to realize that encouraging someone to transition is encouraging them to do something that will have permanent consequences.