and this is where the influence of Esther Ballestero comes into place, and let’s fast forward to his papacy.
it is exactly because Jorge Bergoglio was a street priest that he came to know many transgender folks. when Sister Mónica Astorga, a rock star of the Catholic LGBTQI community in Argentina decided to leave the Church but not her work, Pope Francis did NOT excommunicate her and instead sent her a letter of solidarity
https://www.rionegro.com.ar/sociedad/la-monja-que-acompano-a-las-mujeres-trans-en-neuquen-no-recibio-el-apoyo-de-la-iglesia-pero-si-del-papa-francisco/
anything you need, he basically told her …🧵