Priest says ‘trans’ people he has ministered to have deep wounds

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ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 4, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Father Francisco “Patxi” Bronchalo of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain shared on X about the emotional wounds he has encountered throughout his pastoral experience in persons who declare themselves “trans.”

The priest began a thread on X on April 3 affirming that “a man who says he’s a woman is not a woman but a man who says he’s a woman,” which “seems obvious” but nevertheless means going against “the ideological trans dogma and makes many people cry to high heaven.”

The priest explained that among people who declare themselves “trans,” he has always found in his pastoral experience that “there are deep wounds that have led to nonacceptance of their biological reality.”

Given this, instead of facing their problems, they are offered an “escape forward” into an ideology “that says that biological reality does not define what a person is but that what is defining is how this person perceives himself.”

Consequently, “a whole new anthropological, moral, and legal construction is proposed to justify the ideology” that leads to teaching children in schools “the 37 different genders that are said to exist,” the priest continued.

Sexual abuse and bullying at school

Bronchalo explained in his detailed thread on X that the wounds he has encountered when as a priest he has had to care for people who don’t identify with their biological nature are of two kinds.

Either there is “sexual, physical, and psychological abuse by a family member that leads them to reject who they are” or there is “bullying at school, rejection by friends for being more shy, sensitive, or withdrawn.”

“There is always something of this: Children broken by very hard life experiences in the most intimate of environments,” the priest emphasized, noting that “the family is a place where the person finds security and affection,” and without it the person is hurt and the damage done “will cause suffering in the future.”

A flag and some hormones

Bronchalo explained that many of these young people are given “a flag and some hormones” as a solution. The flag “makes them identify with a group,” so “at first they feel good,” but then “they begin to enter the entire ideological world that teaches them that everyone hates them.”

Regarding taking opposite-sex hormones, the priest warned that it’s a decision “that can lead to irreversible consequences.” He pointed out that “people talk about trans visibility but visibility is not given to those who regret the process.” However, this can be easily remedied with “a quick Google search.”

“Many discover that when they have done the entire process they still feel bad. Because the wounds are still there,” the priest explained, lamenting that because of this “there are those who fall into drugs to alleviate emotional pain, into unbridled sex, prostitution, in order to feel loved. It’s hard. Their hearts are broken.”

Bronchalo asks himself: “What truly heals wounds?” His response is clear: “Affection and security. True love. What was missing could be given to them. Without escapes or ideologies. Teaching through true human love what the unconditional love that God has for us is.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.