Catholic diocesan hermit approved by Kentucky bishop comes out as transgender
May 21, 2024
» Continue to this story on RNS
CWN Editor's Note: Brother Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, has come out as transgender.
Matson, according to Religion News Service, “transitioned” in 2006, converted to Catholicism in 2010, was declined admission to the Jesuits and other religious communities, and was accepted as a vowed diocesan hermit by Bishop John Stowe.
“My willingness to be open to him is because it’s a sincere person seeking a way to serve the Church,” said Bishop Stowe. “Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life … but they can be either male or female. 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 in letting him live this vocation.”
Matson, a critic of Vatican and US bishops’ documents on transgenderism, is “known in the town where he lives primarily through his work with the local theater,” according to the report.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: feedback -
May. 21, 2024 11:10 AM ET USA
The public "coming out" of the man is problematic with a strong potential of harming the Church. To many Catholics it may be scandalous or, at least, confusing. Bp Stowe needs to pick a side: the Catholic Doctrine with Catholic Morality, or the gay agenda.
