Pope invites transgender prostitutes to dinner at Vatican

The pontiff talks to transgender people. Photo: Vatican News
On November 19, 2022, the Vatican hosted a luncheon organized by the RCC on World Day of the Poor, to which the pope invited transgender female prostitutes from the Italian city of Torvaianica, Reuters reports.
Claudia Victoria Salas, 55, Carla Segovia, 46, and Andrea Paola Torres Lopez work in the sex industry and are very grateful to the Pope, who, like them, is Argentine.
Pope Francis seated Claudia Salas at the table across from him.
"We transgenders here in Italy feel a bit more human because the fact that Pope Francis brings us closer to the Church is a beautiful thing," Carla Segovia said.
Lopez said, "In the past, the church was closed to us; they did not consider us normal people. Then Pope Francis appeared, and the doors of the church opened to us."
Carla Segovia expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church for allowing LGBTQ+ individuals to become godparents. She mentioned that the new norms made her feel more comfortable. Although she considered returning to the faith in which she was baptized, she strayed away after declaring herself transgender.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for all of us transsexuals," said Segovia. "I send the pope a big kiss."
Earlier, it was reported that the Vatican allowed representatives of the LGBTQ+ community to be baptized and act as godparents.
Read also
Police in Dnipro release arsonist who targeted UOC church
The perpetrator, after his first failed attempt, promised parishioners he would “finish the job.”
Uzhhorod UOC cathedral rector hospitalized after court hearing
The court hearing in the case against Archpriest Dmytro Sydor has been postponed until June 19.
Gay teacher in Berlin reports bullying by Muslim students
A primary school teacher in Berlin’s Moabit district says he endured a year and a half of bullying by students after coming out as gay.
Media: Cypriot Synod deposes bishop following letter from Pat Bartholomew
The Ecumenical Patriarch demanded disciplinary action against a Cypriot hierarch who insisted on rebaptizing Protestants converting to Orthodoxy.
Police open case over fake video about orphanage run by Metropolitan Longin
Two days after the release of a fabricated “investigative video” by photographer Edgar Kalancha, police in Bukovyna launched a criminal case regarding the staff of the orphanage at the monastery.