Posted: Feb. 13, 2020
The Catholic bishop of Springfield, Illinois, had already banned Catholics in same-sex marriages from receiving communion, becoming godparents, and reading Scripture lessons at Mass. Now Thomas Paprocki has taken his unchristian persecution and demonization of LGBTQ persons to an entirely new level.
Bishop Paprocki's just-announced anti-transgender rule, ominously named "Policy 650", threatens to terminate transgender church and school staff who do not "live in conformity with his or her sexual identity as determined at birth." Staff will even be fired for referring to transgender persons' by their preferred pronouns.
Transgender students are also banned from using their preferred pronouns, as well as from having safe locker rooms and receiving necessary medication on campus. Worst of all, the bishop is even demanding that Catholics refrain from supporting their LGBTQ family members.
Policy 650 will cause untold harm to LGBTQ students and their families, and there is nothing merciful or loving about that. Bishop Paprocki needs to hear from Catholics and other Christians who are outraged whenever the church punishes God's children for being who they are.
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.