ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Catholic bishop for southern Minnesota, Robert Barron, endorsed President Trump’s order to ban federal funding for childhood transgender counseling and surgeries. Barron told his flock that changing gender violates human nature. In his Winona-Rochseter diocesan newspaper, he called it unacceptable for children to be encouraged to undergo “destructive medical interventions.” Better, he said, is “receiving access to authentic and bodily-unitive care.” The Diocese claims 134,00 Catholics. Barron’s influence, however, is broader. His online ministry “Word on Fire” has 3.2 million Facebook followers.
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Barron. Chair of the Committee of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, a unit of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.