2024-05-07 18:53:23
The Washington Post chronicled the Vatican‘s openness to transgender sex workers and Pope Francis‘ friendship with Laura Esquivel, a Paraguayan in Italy. “You are also a child of God,” she responded during their first meeting.
Despite the negative reactions and criticism that the Vatican’s opening to transgender sex workers has generated, Pope Francis’ approach has altered the lives of at least 100 people, according to the Washington Post.
The first time Laura met Pope Francis, along with other trans women, was during a morning in the summer of 2022. She was wearing a pink blouse, jeans, and white sandals. In her head there were many doubts about how she should act or what the Supreme Pontiff would think of her.
“Be yourself,” replied the Reverend Andrea Conocchia, a liberal priest originally from Rome, who had his first contact with a trans person while handing out food to immigrants from the inner courtyard of the square Church of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin during the pandemic.
Laura was the second after Paola, an Argentine national, who had approached the father to ask for food and asked if she could invite a friend. Laura walked more than two kilometers in the hope of receiving help, since the pandemic had left her without clients, in addition to not having her papers, she could not even access vaccines.
Father Don Andrea wrote down her cell phone number and address and an hour later he arrived at her house with provisions, in addition to encouraging her to write to Pope Francis to thank him.
“I swear, he brought everything: pasta, rice, sugar, pâté, olives,” he recalled. “Everything in boxes. It was 400 or 500 euros in food. He told me to call him when he needed something.”
When it was Laura’s turn to meet the Pope, she looked him in the eyes and said, “I am a transsexual from Paraguay,” to which the father smiled and responded, “You are also a child of God.”
The Pope blessed her and then smiled, to which she asked why? and the Supreme Pontiff responded, “We should speak Spanish, we are South Americans.” Laura couldn’t stop her tears.
The compatriot had worked on the street since she was 15 and was sentenced to an Italian prison for cutting another trans woman during a fight. Before she had her cancer diagnosis, she was already facing long-standing HIV. “I am made of iron,” she said and she did not apologize to anyone for her life, not even the Pope.
2024-05-07 18:53:23