No Exceptions: A Response to "Infinite Dignity" from the Roman Catholic Church

Speaking of Faith with Bishop DeDe

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Summary
In this episode, Bishop DeDe and RomComm are joined by the Rev. Canon Megan Castellan, the Canon to the Ordinary for Mission and Formation in the Diocese of Central New York. Together they discuss the “Infinite Dignity,” a document released on April 8 by the Roman Catholic Church. They explore the concept of embracing the dignity of all people and the implications it has for our world and affirm the importance of recognizing the innate value and worth of every human being. However, they also highlight a contradiction in the document's treatment of transgender and genderqueer individuals and assert that that contradiction not only undermines the message of inherent dignity, it further endangers and harms an already-vulnerable community. They emphasize the need for dialogue and understanding in addressing this issue as they assert that followers of Christ are called to engage in dialogue and share our testimonies of how we have seen the Spirit moving and present in the lives of transgender and genderqueer individuals.
Read "You are Loved," the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York's written response to "Infinite Dignity."
Takeaways

• The document "Infinite Dignity" released by the Roman Catholic Church affirms the inherent value and worth of every human being, but contradicts this message when it comes to transgender individuals.
• As followers of Jesus, we are called to honor the dignity of others and create a world where their value is upheld.
• The Episcopal Church welcomes and affirms transgender and genderqueer individuals, recognizing their inherent dignity and the importance of their lived experiences.
• We are called to engage in dialogue and share our testimonies of how we have seen the Spirit moving and present in the lives of transgender and genderqueer individuals.
• Our faith is a journey of constant discovery and deep knowing, and we are called to extend love, compassion, and understanding to all people.

Keywords: faith, dignity, Roman Catholic Church, transgender, genderqueer, value, worth, embrace, human beings, violence, inequality, poverty, The Episcopal Church, theology, love, compassion, scripture, tradition, reason, LGBTQ+

AI Disclosure: To support our staff in their limited time, many of our episode summaries are first generated by AI and then edited by the Communications Director to accurately reflect and preview our podcast episodes.

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1. Introduction and Overview (00:00:00)

2. The Contradiction in "Inherent Dignity" (00:04:09)

3. We have Experienced the Holy Spirit in Our Trans and Genderqueer Siblings (00:09:19)

4. The Expansiveness of Love and God's Creation (00:14:55)

5. The Gift of Deep Knowing (00:25:51)