The authors and editors of a new edited volume, Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice: A Handbook for Catholic Clergy, Counselors, and Ministerial Leaders, represent a tremendous knowledge and experience in theology, philosophy, history, and social politics, and apply it to help us sort how to think about and talk about the recent wave of transgenderism in society and especially among young people. Often clothed in terms of compassion and acceptance, transgender advocates encourage young people to make permanent surgical changes to their bodies, bodies that many will soon regret. So, how do we counsel them? Christianity is fundamentally committed to compassion and love (caritas, agape) and opposed to judgement (Mt. 7:1) yet also committed to truth. And true love does not mean letting young people make permanent mistakes that they do not fully understand—so it’s a real pickle! We talk it over on Almost Good Catholics.

This episode was recorded in the sede vacante moment between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV.

Also, this episode is intended to be the first of two, with a second one following up in the near future with an interview with a transgender advocate in the coming weeks.

Here are some earlier episodes of AGC with Robert Fastiggi, the second one also about the transgender questions (and the first about Mariology):

Here is are earlier AGC episodes about the related themes of same-sex attraction from two perspectives, including the discussion with Fr. Jim Martin SJ we discussed in today’s episode:

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