Vatican allows transgender participation in sacraments
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STORY: Transgender people can be godparents at Roman Catholic baptisms, witnesses at religious weddings and receive baptism themselves, the Vatican's doctrinal office said on Wednesday (November 8).
It was responding to a question from Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro in Brazil, who sought guidance on LGBT participation in sacraments.
The Vatican's response, approved by Pope Francis on October 31, remains vague on whether a same-sex couple can have a Church baptism for an adopted or surrogate-born child.
Pope Francis has tried to make the Church more welcoming to the LGBT community.
The document also says individuals in same-sex relationships can now serve as witnesses at Catholic weddings.
The response said that for the child of a same-sex couple to be baptized, there had to be "a well-founded hope that it would be educated in the Catholic religion."
