The Vatican’s doctrine office says an adult who identifies as transgender can receive the sacrament of baptism under the same conditions as any adult as long as there’s no risk of causing scandal or confusion to other Catholics. Any children or adolescents experiencing transgender identity issues may also receive baptism if well-prepared and willing, the Vatican says. These answers are in response to questions from Brazilian Bishop Giuseppe Negri posed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The dicastery’s response is signed by the Vatican’s doctrine chief, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, and by Pope Francis. Dr. John Grabowski, moral theologian at the Catholic University of America and author of “Unraveling Gender: the Battle Over Sexual Difference,” joins to discuss whether this is a new shift from Church teaching. Dr. Grabowski explains the Church’s teaching and understanding of people who identify as transgender. There’s a lot of mini-qualifiers in this Vatican response about people who are transgender and the sacrament of baptism. Dr. Grabowski shares how parish priests can judge whether or not a person will cause scandal or confusion and whether it will be different from parish to parish.