Vatican Says Transgender People May Be Baptized

ROME—The Vatican said transgender people may be baptized as Catholics and can serve as godparents, in the latest sign of the church’s greater openness to LGBTQ people under Pope Francis. The Vatican also said that the children of gay couples, including ones who are adopted or born to surrogate mothers, may be baptized, and that such couples may serve as godparents. The statement, released on Wednesday, helps to clarify Catholic teaching with regard to transgender people, a topic the Vatican has said little about until now.