The Archdiocese of Corrientes, Argentina, announced it will take appropriate canonical disciplinary measures following the celebration of a marriage between two persons who identify as “transgender” in a local parish.
The ceremony took place on Jan. 28 at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish between the two individuals, one biologically male and the other biologically female, each of whom legally changed their names and genders to the opposite sex on their national identity documents under Argentina’s gender identity law.
One of the persons involved, Solange Ayala, an LGBT activist from Corrientes, said in an interview with Radio Sudamericana: “We are a trans couple who were able to receive the blessing of the Church.”
Ayala noted that although getting married in a church seemed “impossible” to them, the couple explored other options. “Several people told us that this church was quite open to welcoming the community,” she said in reference to Our Lady of Pompeii Parish.
“We completed the process like anyone else, we started a marriage application, we went to speak with the priest, and he received us very well,” she explained.
“We had a chat, he explained the steps to follow and he himself went to speak with the archbishop and told us that there was nothing he could object to against us being able to get married, because if we spoke like this, transparently, biologically we were a man and a woman, then we could be blessed under the sacrament of marriage,” she recounted in the interview.
However, the Archdiocese of Corrientes later denied having given approval for the sacrament to be administered, stating that “this archdiocese at no time received the ecclesiastical documentation corresponding to the formalities required for processing these cases.”
In a statement, the archdiocese reiterated that Christian marriage “requires compliance with certain essential conditions for its validity and licitness, as established by canon law and the living tradition of the Church.”
The text added that “the omission of these conditions not only distorts the profound meaning of the sacrament but can also generate confusion within the community of the faithful.”
In that context, the archdiocese announced that, after consulting with the relevant authorities, it will act ex officio in accordance with canon law to take any “formal canonical disciplinary measures that may be appropriate.”
At the same time, the archdiocese reaffirmed the commitment “of a Church that welcomes, accompanies, and walks alongside people, always in fidelity to the Gospel, to Church doctrine, and to the legal order that ensures the proper and fruitful celebration of the sacraments.”
The parish priest of Our Lady of Pompeii, Friar Fernando Luis Gómez, also issued a statement in which he affirmed that the parish “acted following the pastoral guidance and ecclesial norms of the ordinary (the bishop).”
In that context, the archdiocese affirmed that “Christian marriage, as a sacrament, requires essential canonical conditions for validity and licitness.”
“It’s not just a matter of a ceremony or documentation: It requires that the contracting parties be legally competent to marry, that there be no canonical impediment, and, crucially, that they give genuine consent; that is, that they wish to enter into marriage as the Church understands it, with integrity and good faith,” the explained.
Furthermore, “out of respect for the privacy of those involved,” the archdiocese clarified that “no details will be provided nor will speculation be fueled” and reiterated its commitment “to an authentic pastoral reception, always united to the truth of the sacrament.”
Finally, the archdiocese announced that going forward, “the interview, preparation, and verification procedures will be strengthened to safeguard the sanctity of the sacraments and avoid confusion in the community.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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