On the Baptism of Trans Persons

Acts of the Apostles gives us the example of a eunuch who was baptized:

{8:27} And rising up, he went. And behold, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, powerful under Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasures, had arrived in Jerusalem to worship.
{8:28} And while returning, he was sitting upon his chariot and reading from the prophet Isaiah.
{8:29} Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Draw near and join yourself to this chariot.”
{8:30} And Philip, hurrying, heard him reading from the prophet Isaiah, and he said, “Do you think that you understand what you are reading?”
[…]
{8:35} Then Philip, opening his mouth and beginning from this Scripture, evangelized Jesus to him.
{8:36} And while they were going along the way, they arrived at a certain water source. And the eunuch said: “There is water. What would prevent me from being baptized?”
{8:37} Then Philip said, “If you believe from your whole heart, it is permitted.” And he responded by saying, “I believe the Son of God to be Jesus the Christ.”
{8:38} And he ordered the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch descended into the water. And he baptized him.
{8:39} And when they had ascended from the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him anymore. Then he went on his way, rejoicing.

Philip, the Apostle, baptized a eunuch, an Ethiopian man (not a Jew prepared to receive Christ by the Jewish faith). In ancient times, a eunuch would be either a man who had his testes removed, or sometimes a man who had his penis and testes removed. See this Wikipedia article on castration. As far as examples in the Bible are concerned, this would be the closest to a Trans person (MtF) who has had surgery, not only hormones.

Philip says “If you believe from your whole heart, it is permitted.” Not only was this man baptized by one of the Twelve Apostles, but the Holy Spirit told Philip to approach this man. Then afterward, the Holy Spirit miraculously transferred Philip to another location. God gave his approval to this baptism of a eunuch by one of the Twelve Apostles. So who are you to tell transgender persons that they cannot be baptized?

Then we also have the saying of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Some translations, including mine below, use “chaste” as the term, but the Latin text clearly says eunuch and castration:

{19:12} Sunt enim eunuchi, qui de matris utero sic nati sunt: et sunt eunuchi, qui facti sunt ab hominibus: et sunt eunuchi, qui seipsos castraverunt propter regnum cælorum. Qui potest capere capiat.

{19:12} For there are chaste persons who were born so from their mother’s womb, and there are chaste persons who have been made so by men, and there are chaste persons who have made themselves chaste for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever is able to grasp this, let him grasp it.”

Origen is thought by some to have had himself castrated (as early Church historian Bishop Eusebius claims). Recent scholarship has cast doubt on that story. However, it was widely believed for a long time, and yet Origen has always been numbered among the early Church fathers. Pope Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum 9, refers to the early Church fathers, and then immediately quotes Origen with approval.

The discussion of this claim about Origen has led to a consistent response from the Church: that such castration is not the meaning of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19:12, and that persons ought not to be castrated or emascualted. However, this claim about Origen never kept him from being among the preeminent teachers from the early Church. The Church does not reject any human persons who wish to follow Jesus and love God and neighbor.

Salvation is offered to all human persons.

Ronald L Conte Jr