Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 10, 2023 / 15:50 pm (CNA).
A major pediatrician’s group is urging the influential American Academy of Pediatricians to reevaluate its support for extreme transgender treatments performed on children, with the group claiming there is a lack of significant evidence to justify those procedures.
The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) said in a statement last week that it was reaffirming its 2018 policy statement in support of transgender interventions for children, including irreversible surgery and synthetic hormone usage.
The AAP said it had also authorized the “development of an expanded set of guidance for pediatricians” pending a review of clinical research that has arisen in the past five years.
In a press release on Thursday, the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) said it was “disappointed that the AAP has reaffirmed its support for transgender interventions on minors.”
Yet the group affirmed it was “encouraged that the AAP is open to reevaluating its position” on those procedures.
“There is a lack of any significant clinical evidence and a lack of long-term positive outcomes for children treated with puberty-blocking drugs, sex hormones, and transgender interventions,” ACPeds said.
“Additionally, it is a known fact that gender dysphoria resolves in most minors who are allowed to go through puberty,” the statement continued. “We reaffirm our position that these interventions are scientifically unproven and amount to child abuse.”
ACPeds in its statement urged the AAP to “take into account the mounting scientific evidence against transgender interventions on minors, which has led some countries, including the U.K., Finland, and Sweden, to pull back their support for such interventions.”
“There is no scientifically robust evidence to support transgender interventions on minors,” the statement concluded.
In the press release the group offered links to ACPeds literature arguing that “transgender treatments harm children” and that teenage brains are still “under construction” and that consequently the “decision-making processes during adolescence are immature.”
On its website, the ACPeds bills itself as “a national organization of pediatricians and other health care professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children.”
The group says it was founded by “concerned physicians” who “saw the need for a pediatric organization that would not be influenced by the politically driven pronouncements of the day.”
Transgender treatments, particularly those involving children, have generated intense debate and controversy in the U.S. in recent years in both medical and religious circles.
The U.S. bishops in June voted to issue a significant revision to Catholic medical guidelines concerning transgender patients, with the prelates issuing strict prohibitions against any form of transgender surgeries being undertaken in Catholic medical facilities.
The bishops in an earlier guidance document had stipulated that Catholic facilities were not allowed to “perform interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex.”
As noted by ACPeds, meanwhile, several European countries have recently issued prohibitions against transgender surgeries performed on children, citing scant evidence and long-term risks associated with the procedures.
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The Catholic faithful gathered in the Cenacle in Jerusalem for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that the Franciscan friars celebrated on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Cenacle is at the center of strong tensions and disputes regarding ownership and rights of access and celebration. An ancient tradition places King David’s tomb here and over the centuries Jews and Muslims have leveraged this to first expel the Franciscans and then to prevent Christian worship, which they deemed sacrilegious. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Mar 28, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).
On Holy Thursday, the doors of the Cenacle in Jerusalem were opened to welcome the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land. In this “Upper Room,” called the Cenacle in the Holy Land, Jesus had his Last Supper, washed his apostles’ feet, and instituted the Eucharist.
It was here that the Franciscans celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, reenacting those same gestures. (At the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, however, the celebration is held on Thursday morning due to the Status Quo. Here is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s homily from that Mass.)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, kisses the feet of a Franciscan friar during the “Washing of the Feet” ritual at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated at the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Thursday. The celebration is held on Thursday morning due to the Status Quo. March 28, 2024. Courtesy of the Custody of the Holy Land
The custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, presided over the Eucharistic celebration at the Cenacle. In his homily, before washing the feet of six teachers and six students from the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem, he emphasized the value of the “new commandment” that Jesus gave to his apostles here: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34).
“To love means to give oneself and to serve,” he said. “In this celebration, we want to nourish ourselves with Jesus because if he is alive within us, then we too will become capable of loving one another as he loved us. And we also want to learn from Jesus not to be served but to serve.”
Some students from the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem who took part in the “Washing of the Feet” ritual during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated at the Cenacle in Jerusalem on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. Addressing them specifically in his homily, the Custos of the Holy Land emphasized the value of the “new commandment” that Jesus gave to his apostles here: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). Credit: Marinella Bandini
Holy Thursday is the only day, along with Pentecost Sunday, when the Franciscans have the right to gather in the Upper Room to pray. Usually, it is a liturgy of the word, but since 2021 they have celebrated Mass. Outside, Israeli Army personnel ensure security.
The Cenacle is at the center of strong tensions and disputes regarding ownership and rights of access and celebration. An ancient tradition places King David’s tomb here, and over the centuries, Jews and Muslims have leveraged this place to first expel the Franciscans and then to prevent Christian worship, which they deem sacrilegious.
Father Narciso Klimas, historian and archivist of the Custody of the Holy Land, explained to CNA: “The Custody has all the documents confirming our ownership of Mount Zion.” Even today, traces of Christian presence are visible, both in the architecture of the place and in some symbols.
“The presence of the Franciscans at the Cenacle,” Klimas explained, “dates back to 1342, but as early as 1333, the rulers of Naples, Robert of Anjou and Sancha of Majorca, acquired the land and donated it to the friars. This was the first headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land.” To this day, the official title of the Custos of the Holy Land is “Guardian of Mount Zion and the Holy Sepulchre.”
Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, incenses the altar at the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that the Franciscan friars celebrated inside the Cenacle in Jerusalem on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. This is the only day, along with Pentecost Sunday, that the Franciscans have the right to gather here to pray. Usually, it is a liturgy of the word, but since 2021 they have celebrated Mass. Credit: Marinella Bandini
In 1421, a rabbi submitted a petition to the local emirs, claiming the right for Muslims and Jews to this place due to the presence of King David’s tomb. One hundred years later, Klimas continued, “the Ottomans used this argument to gradually expel the Franciscans, until in 1551 the sultan decreed the total expulsion of the Franciscans from Mount Zion.” The Cenacle first became a mosque and later, in the lower part, also a synagogue.
“Since then,” Klimas recounted, “the Franciscans have never stopped attempting to regain possession of the Cenacle. The friars have always tried to ensure a presence, at least on Holy Thursday and Pentecost, sometimes even with methods that are not exactly orthodox (such as bribing the local guardian).”
Something began to change in the 19th century, during the time of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid. Since then, the Franciscans have had the right to pray at the Cenacle on Holy Thursday and Pentecost. After a failed attempt in the 1930s to regain control of it, the friars managed to purchase adjacent land where they built the convent of San Francesco “ad Coenaculum” (next to the Cenacle).
In 1948, with the founding of the State of Israel, the entire Mount Zion came under Israeli control, and until today, the Israeli state owns the entire complex of the Cenacle. The neighborhood has a strong Jewish religious character and is characterized by the presence of synagogues and rabbinical schools.
The Franciscan friars and the faithful in the Armenian Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated at the Cenacle. Here, the friars commemorate the hospitality they received here in the 16th century. After being expelled from the Cenacle, the Franciscans were welcomed by the Armenians for seven years while the convent of St. Saviour was purchased, to this day the headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land. March 28, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“Even if the Cenacle cannot return to our hands,” Klimas explained, “we ask at least to celebrate regularly, even with pilgrims, without the need for special permits.”
Negotiations on these matters (taxation and property) have been ongoing for over 25 years between the Holy See and the State of Israel, following the signing of the Fundamental Agreement in 1993 and the agreement recognizing the legal personality of the Catholic Church in Israel in 1997.
Despite the slow pace of diplomatic negotiations, some practical progress can be observed informally. The ability to celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday at the Cenacle is among these developments. Permissions to access the site on other special occasions are usually granted without significant issues as well.
After the Mass at the Cenacle, as tradition dictates, the Franciscans proceeded in a procession to three churches in two other symbolic places: the Armenian churches of St. James and of the Holy Archangels (of the Armenian Apostolic Church), and the Syro-Orthodox Church of St. Mark.
The Franciscan friars and the faithful in the Armenian Church of the Holy Archangels in Jerusalem after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated at the Cenacle on March 28, 2024. Friars and faithful pray together and receive the blessing from the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Credit: Marinella Bandini
This yearly visit commemorates the hospitality the friars received in the 16th century. After being expelled from the Cenacle, the Franciscans were welcomed by the Armenians for seven years while the convent of St. Saviour was purchased, to this day the headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land. Friars and faithful prayed together and received the blessing from the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Mark is said to be built on the house of Mary, the mother of the evangelist Mark. According to Syriac tradition, this is the place where Jesus had the Last Supper. Here as well, those present prayed together and were able to listen to the Lord’s Prayer sung in Aramaic by one of the monks, who then gave a blessing.
The Franciscan friars and the faithful in the Syro-Orthodox church of St. Mark in Jerusalem after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated at the Cenacle on March 28, 2024. According to Syriac tradition, this is the upper room where Jesus had the Last Supper. Here as well, those present pray together and listen to the Lord’s Prayer sung in Aramaic by one of the monks, who then gives the blessing. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Washington D.C., Apr 6, 2021 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- The White House on Tuesday said that President Joe Biden “has a difference of opinion” from Catholics concerned that the Equality Act would trample conscience rights.
Pope Francis greets people after a documentary screening at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Sept. 6, 2021. / Vatican Media.
Vatican City, Sep 7, 2021 / 03:10 am (CNA).
Pope Francis met with recent arrivals from Afghanistan on Monday evening after a … […]
1 Comment
I, Miss Valerie Oval Lecuona, am a heterosexual woman but at one time I was a homosexual. And at one time I was so certain that I would be a homosexual for the rest of my life but then a dramatic change happened to me in June of 2022 when I was a 52 year old woman: I became a heterosexual Lady for the first time in my life and for the rest of my life. The reason I am telling my story is because it is a fact that homosexuals sometimes become heterosexuals as in my case.
I, Miss Valerie Oval Lecuona, am a heterosexual woman but at one time I was a homosexual. And at one time I was so certain that I would be a homosexual for the rest of my life but then a dramatic change happened to me in June of 2022 when I was a 52 year old woman: I became a heterosexual Lady for the first time in my life and for the rest of my life. The reason I am telling my story is because it is a fact that homosexuals sometimes become heterosexuals as in my case.