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.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, The Daily Caller<\/a> reported:<\/p>\n 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n Although most Catholic hospitals were already not offering such procedures, the change became permanent as the bishops issued an \u201cauthoritative guidance\u201d for the healthcare facilities, according<\/a> 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n Part III of the text tells Catholic healthcare providers not to offer interventions \u201cthat aim to transform sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex,\u201d according to the NCR.<\/strong><\/p>\n The directive instructs workers to \u201cemploy all appropriate resources to mitigate the suffering of those who experience gender incongruence or gender dysphoria,\u201d while respecting \u201cthe fundamental order of the human body.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The article concludes:<\/p>\n \u201cLet us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator. We are creatures, and not omnipotent,\u201d Francis (Pope Francis) continued. \u201cCreation 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n 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<\/a> .<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCatholic providers will continue to welcome those who seek medical care from us and identify as transgender,\u201d the statement continues. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading