The Vatican has said that it is “impossible” for trans people to be godparents, as their life does not fit with the teachings of the Catholic church.

Alex Salinas, a 21 year-old transgender man from Cadiz, Spain was asked to be the godfather to his nephew. After consulting with his parish priest, he was allowed to act as godparent. Bishop Rafael Zornoza Boy of Cadiz and Ceuta quickly overruled the priest’s decision to accept Salinas as godfather causing outrage among activists and confusion among Catholics.

The case was referred to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Today they made a ruling saying “transexual behaviour” goes against church teachings, and therefore trans people could not be godparents.

“Transsexual behaviour reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one’s own sexuality,” said the congregation.

‘Therefore it is evident that this person does not possess the requirement of leading a life according to the faith and in the position of godfather and is therefore unable to be admitted to the position of godfather or godmother.

“The congregation insisted they were not discriminating against Salinas, but were only recognising ‘an objective lack of the requirements, which by their nature are necessary to assume the ecclesial responsibility of being a godfather.”