Editorial: Pastoral guidance on gender issues

One of the great controversies confronting our state and nation over the past several years is what Pope Francis has called “gender ideology,” which involves the idea that biological sex can be radically separated from the social expression of gender, such that someone who is biologically female could “really” be a man, and vice versa. 

This misguided idea is, suddenly, found almost everywhere, with flash points in schools, athletics, and health care. 

There have been statements from the church’s pastors touching on these ideas, including passages from Pope Francis’ encyclicals, a 2019 document from the Congregation for Catholic Education, a 2017 ecumenical open letter signed on to by representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and, closer to home, 2020 guidelines from the Minnesota Catholic Conference regarding policies in Catholic schools. 

But three statements in recent weeks deserve attention for those who are still grappling with these questions. Each of them has a different context. The Minnesota Catholic Conference in March submitted written testimony opposing several pieces of legislation the state is considering on the issue. On March 20, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a “Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body,” with a particular emphasis on bioethics and what is morally legitimate in health care. And the bishops of five Scandinavian countries released a brief “Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality,” which was read in parishes on the fifth Sunday of Lent. 

All three statements are rooted in some of the same truths. Each reflects the truth of the dignity of the human person, that every person is made in the image and likeness of God and deserves our love and respect. Each also reflect another truth of the nature of the human person, namely that we are embodied souls, and therefore that our bodies, including our biological sex, are given to us by God and are intrinsic to our being. 

Each of these is worth reading. But in particular, although the Scandinavian bishops are the shepherds of flocks an ocean away, their letter, written for a broader audience, is very approachable and a model of pastoral charity. It is short on theological jargon, instead mostly relying on scriptural themes. Faithful to the teaching of the church, it also takes a kind, gentle approach toward those who struggle with that teaching, whether it’s in living it out, understanding it, or believing it, and is obviously aimed at accompanying them. 

As this profound disagreement in society deepens, it’s good to remember, as the Scandinavian bishops point, that “we need deep roots.” “… We owe it to the Lord, to ourselves, and to our world, to give an account of what we believe, and why we believe it to be true.”