A member of the transgender community is looking to find acceptance in the Catholic Church.
Christian Matson, who was born as a female and later transitioned, believes that God has called transgender men and women into the church—and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
“You’ve got to deal with us because God has called us into this church,” Matson said in an interview with Religion News Service. “It’s not your church to kick us out of—this is God’s church, and God has called us and engrafted us into it.”
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Matson became Catholic after transitioning and considers the Catholic church to be her family. Matson, whose real name is Nicole, is part of the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. It has been Matson’s dream to be part of the “religious life.”
“I became Catholic after I transitioned because of the Catholic understanding—the sacramental understanding—of the body, of creation, of the desirability of the visible unity of the church and primarily because of the Eucharist,” Matson said.
As Religion News Service reported, Matson has frequently mailed letters to the Vatican, asking for the Catholic Church to openly accept transgender people. Matson believes it is possible for transgender individuals to be part of the faith community while “maintaining orthodoxy.”
Matson’s spiritual leader, Bishop John Stowe, believes there is no harm in Matson’s decision to be part of the Catholic church because of the quiet life Matson is living.
“Because there’s no pursuit of priesthood or engagement in sacramental ministry, and because the hermit is a relatively quiet and secluded type of vocation, I didn’t see any harm letting him live this vocation,” Stowe said.
Matson’s story is a reminder that God has calling and purposes for each of us, however, part of that calling is to live and walk in the way God created us. It is also not the church’s job to accept what is unbiblical and call it good.
As apostasy continues to ramp up in our generation, let us pray for those who are being deceived by these hidden agendas, that they may be opened to the truth of Christ and who He has called them to be as His sons and daughters.
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Abby Trivett is a content development editor for Charisma Media.
