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Pope Francis faced renewed pressure on Saturday to reconsider the Catholic Church’s prohibition on gender-affirming care for transgender individuals during a private discussion with LGBTQ+ activists at the Vatican.

The 80-minute meeting took place at the pope’s residence and involved a variety of participants, including a Catholic nun who works with LGBTQ communities, a transgender man, and a U.S. medical doctor specialising in gender-affirming hormonal care.

Michael Sennett, a transgender man from Boston, expressed his personal experiences during the meeting, highlighting the positive impact of hormone replacement therapy and surgeries on his life. “I really wanted to share with Pope Francis about the joy that I have being a transgender Catholic person,” Sennett told Reuters. He described how these medical treatments made him feel comfortable in his body.

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The meeting, which was not listed on the Vatican’s official agenda, followed the Vatican’s doctrinal office’s firm rejection of gender-affirming care six months ago. The Vatican’s stance claims that such care risks undermining the unique dignity endowed upon individuals from conception. LGBTQ+ groups criticised this decision, noting that the Church had not consulted with transgender individuals before making their judgment.

One of the meeting’s participants, Dr. Cynthia Herrick, an endocrinologist from Missouri, emphasised the importance of involving transgender people in these discussions. She praised the pope for his empathetic and receptive approach. “The pope was very receptive. He listened very empathetically and shared that his focus is always on the person, on the well-being of the person,” she said.

Although Pope Francis has been recognised for leading the Church towards a more inclusive stance, such as allowing priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis, the Church’s position on LGBTQ+ matters has remained inconsistent. Earlier this year, Francis drew criticism for using an offensive term to refer to LGBTQ+ individuals, an incident for which the Vatican later apologised.

New Ways Ministry, a U.S.-based LGBTQ+ Catholic advocacy group, organised the gathering. Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of the group, who has long been involved in LGBTQ+ outreach despite Catholic officials’ resistance, noted the meeting’s significance. “The message really is that we need to listen to the experiences of transgender people,” she said, adding that the meeting signified the Church’s gradual embrace of modernity.

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