Diego Neria Lejárraga

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Diego Neria Lejárraga (* approx. 1967 in Plasencia , Spain ) is a formerly transsexual Spanish man who was received by Pope Francis in a private audience on January 24, 2015 . This made him the first (ex) transsexual person to be invited and received by a Pope , even though the Roman Catholic Church fundamentally rejects gender reassignment measures .

Life

Diego Neria was born a biologically female child. He comes from a well-to-do, very devout Catholic family who had a close relationship with the church and had their own paso at the Semana Santa of Plasencia. Diego felt like a boy from an early age. Every Christmas he wrote a letter with wishes to the three wise men , but they were never fulfilled because he only wanted toys for little boys.

When he hit puberty , his psychological strain increased. He felt himself at the mercy of his fate in a body that he could not accept: "My dungeon was my own body, because it absolutely did not correspond to what my soul felt." He hid his body as best he could, left in the summer neither in the swimming pool with friends, nor in his parents' swimming pool. He bandaged his torso and only wore clothing three sizes too tall to cover the parts of his body that he loathed.

Although his parents and sister knew about his problems and suffering and, according to Diego Neria, there was a loving atmosphere in the family, his mother asked him not to take any gender reassignment measures while she was alive. So he waited. In the last years of her life he took care of his mother, and a year after her death, at the age of 40, contacted a plastic surgeon to have his body reshaped.

During his transition he lived halfway between Madrid and Plasencia; later he returned to his hometown completely changed. There he experienced severe social rejection and marginalization, especially in his community, where he was insulted as "unworthy". A priest called him "Daughter of the Devil ".

Diego Neria suffered from this discrimination and lived a very withdrawn life. One day he decided to write a letter to Pope Francis. The Bishop of Plasencia, Amadeo Rodríguez Magro, who had given him encouragement and support for some time, helped him forward the letter.

Audience with the Pope

On December 8, 2014, Diego Neria Lejárraga received a call from Pope Francis from an anonymous number. He had read his letter and it went very deeply to his heart and he wanted to see it. On a second phone call from the Pope, they agreed to meet on January 24, 2015 in the Vatican .

The meeting between Diego Neria Lejárraga, his partner and the Pope took place in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican and lasted about an hour. Diego Neria asked the Pope "if there was any corner for him in the church today, after his gender reassignment". The Pope then hugged him. Neria gave only a few details about the meeting, but later said of the Pope: “He is goodness personified ... In the presence of Pope Francis one feels loved, respected, embraced. I admired him before the visit, but that was nothing compared to the admiration I feel for him now ”.

After media reports of the meeting appeared, Neria received many messages from compassionate fellow human beings. His personal situation also changed: there was less bullying in his hometown and community. In his own words, he found peace by meeting the Pope. On the other hand, it got a lot of public attention, especially from the international media.

Reactions

The news of the meeting with the Pope got through the international press.

The Vatican and the Spanish bishops made no official comment on the meeting, but pointed out that it was a private matter for the Pope.

Leading LGBT activists in the Catholic Church said they were delighted with Pope Francis' meeting with Diego Neria to the National Catholic Reporter . So said Francis DeBernardo , executive director of New Ways Ministry . "I think that the meeting was a gesture not only of pastoral care with the transgender man, but to learn from genuine interest about transgender experience firsthand" DeBernardo reported but at the same time concerns about overstating the meeting: “At this moment I would not use the word ' acceptance ' to describe the Vatican's attitude towards the transgender community. I think ' dialogue ' would be a better word. ... The Vatican's refusal to verify the meeting is another sign of why I don't think that their attitude can be described as 'acceptance'. "

Jeannine Gramick , co-founder of New Ways Ministry , said in a statement to the National Catholic Reporter: “ Jorge Mario Bergoglio's devotion to Mary , the looser , found expression in Pope Francis' embrace of the transgender Spaniard ... This was a global embrace that reflects back on transgender people around the globe. "

Volker Beck , at that time the spokesman for religious policy for the Bundestag parliamentary group Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen , was also very pleased about the news of the Pope's audience with the Spanish ex-transsexual: “I expressly welcome this step”. It is high time that the Catholic Church “treats transsexuals, but also lesbians and gays with respect in the spirit of Christian charity”.

Neria herself does not expect any major changes "overnight" in the official attitude of the Church to transsexuality, but she believes such changes are possible.

A few months later in October 2016, Pope Francis declared that transsexuals should not be excluded, that their cases should be viewed in a differentiated manner, and that they should “... be integrated, accompanied and brought 'closer to God' by the congregations. ... That is exactly what Jesus would do today. ”The Vatican did not issue an official statement on this statement by the Pope either.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c “Pope receives transsexuals for an audience” , n-tv , January 27, 2015, (last accessed on January 18, 2018).
  2. ↑ "Nació en el seno de una familia bien situada, católica y practicante. Con paso propio en la Semana Santa placentina. Con una estrecha relación con la Iglesia. "Ana B. Hernandez: " El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego " , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  3. ↑ “Sus cartas a los Reyes Magos parecía que nunca llegaban. Porque jamás tuvo el regalo que pedía: aquello que le permitiera ser niño. Y su desilusión llevaba a su madre a esconderse para que no la viera, y llorar. Porque ella sabía que Sus Majestades de Oriente no podían traer a su 'niño' el regalo que cada Navidad pedía. "Ana B. Hernandez: " El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego " , in: Hoy , January 26th 2015 (Spanish) , last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Mi cárcel era mi propio cuerpo porque no se correspondía en absoluto con lo que mi alma sentía" Ana B. Hernandez: "El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego" , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Y lo escondió durante años como pudo. "No conocí un verano feliz en el que poder ir a la piscina con los amigos", reconoce con tristeza. Ni siquiera se daba chapuzones en la piscina que sus padres hicieron para él en la casa familiar. Porque, simplemente, no quería verse. "Ana B. Hernandez: " El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego " , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ a b c d e Ana B. Hernandez: "El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego" , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Por fin, su cuerpo y su alma se habían found." Ana B. Hernandez: "El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego" , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  8. ↑ "« ¿Cómo te atreves a entrar aquí con tu condición? No eres digno », le dijeron algunos de comunión diaria cuando Diego volvió a su iglesia. “Eres la hija del diablo”, escuchó un día en plena calle de boca de un sacerdote. ”Ana B. Hernandez: “ El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego ” , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  9. ↑ “No sabía qué estaba pasando hasta que el Santo Padre le dijo que había leído su carta y le había llegado al alma. La emoción apenas le permitió abrir la boca, pero el Papa le pidió que se calmara y le dijo que quería verle, y que le llamaría más adelante para fijar la fecha del encuentro “. Ana B. Hernandez: "El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego" , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  10. ^ "El 20 de diciembre, mientras paseaba por Sevilla, ciudad en la que reside su prometida. El Santo Padre volvió a Telefonear a Diego. Y le propuso, si les venía bien a él ya su mujer, la fecha del 24 de enero, a las cinco de la tarde, en El Vaticano para verse. "Ana B. Hernandez: " El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego " , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Diego le preguntó al Santo Padre entonces si tal como es hoy, si después de su reasignación de género, hay algún rincón en la casa de Dios para él. Y el Papa Francisco ayer le abrazó en El Vaticano. "Ana B. Hernandez: " El bendito encuentro entre Francisco y Diego " , in: Hoy , January 26, 2015 (Spanish), last accessed on January 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ "He is 'la bondad personificada (kindness made in person).' There isn't a second of that visit that I don't recall, ”Neria says ...“ In the presence of Pope Francis you feel loved, respected, embraced. I admired him before visiting, but that was nothing compared to the devotion I have for him now. " Tierney Mcafee & Praxilla Trabattoni: Touched by the Pope. Transgender man denounced by parish priest says visit with pope Francis gave him a safe place to leave his pain behind , in People Celebrity, September 17, 2015, in the Net: People Celebrity, September 17, 2015, last accessed on January 22 2018
  13. ↑ Tierney Mcafee & Praxilla Trabattoni: "Touched by the Pope. Transgender man denounced by parish priest says visit with pope Francis gave him a safe place to leave his pain behind ", in People Celebrity, September 17, 2015, in the Net: People Celebrity, September 17, 2015 (English) last accessed on 22. January 2018
  14. ↑ Transgender man: I met with pope Francis , CNN, January 31, 2015, accessed January 25, 2018
  15. ↑ “Vatican spokesmen and the local Spanish bishop's office declined to comment on the meeting, insisting the Pope's private meetings are just that.” Transgender man: I met with pope Francis , CNN, January 31, 2015, accessed January 25, 2018
  16. ^ "I think that his meeting with the transgender man was a gesture not only of pastoral care, but of genuine interest in learning about the transgender experience from a firsthand source," Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, told NCR in an e-mail. Pope Francis meets with, hugs transgender man , in National Catholic Reporter, January 30, 2015, accessed January 21, 2018.
  17. ↑ DeBernardo said while he was pleased with the development, he was also cautious. "At this time, I wouldn't use the word 'acceptance' to describe the Vatican's stance toward the transgender community. I think 'dialogue' would be a better word, "he said. "The Vatican's reluctance to verify the meeting is another indication of why I don't think their attitude can yet be called 'acceptance'," DeBernardo said. Pope Francis meets with, hugs transgender man , in National Catholic Reporter, January 30, 2015, accessed January 21, 2018.
  18. ^ German translation of: Pope Francis meets with, hugs transgender man , in National Catholic Reporter (NCR), January 30, 2015, accessed January 25, 2018.
  19. ^ "Neria, a civil servant, told CNN that he's not an activist for transgender people and dosen't expect changes overnight. ... 'But if this Pope has a long life, which all of his followers hope,' Neria says, 'I think things will change.' " Transgender man: I met with pope Francis , CNN, January 31, 2015 on January 25, 2018
  20. ^ "Pope: Do not exclude homosexuals and transsexuals", in: "Katholisch.de", October 3, 2016 , last accessed on January 25, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Neria Lejárraga, Diego
BRIEF DESCRIPTION spanish ex-transsexual man
DATE OF BIRTH around 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Plasencia , Spain