Cardinal Blasts US for Transgender Support: They'd Put Jesus 'In Prison'

A Cardinal has criticized the U.S. and other nations for their transgender ideologies, claiming that they'd put Jesus in prison if he were alive today.

The claims come amid recent discussion in the Catholic church regarding the LGBTQ+ community. In November, the Pope said in a Vatican document that transgender people can be baptized, serve as godparents and be witnesses at church weddings. Although the Vatican document didn't change church policy, it was yet another step Pope Francis has taken in regard to encouraging LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the Catholic church.

In a recent interview with the British GB News, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller blasted the U.S., Canada and some European countries as being places where Jesus would be condemned if he were alive today.

"I believe that today, Jesus would not be condemned only because he is a Messiah," he said. "He would in Canada or the United States or European countries go to prison because he spoke out the truth about the marriage between a man and a woman."

Newsweek reached out to the Vatican's press office by email for comment.

The pope, who has been in the leadership position for over 10 years, has faced criticism regarding his inclusive outlook. Most recently, critics have condemned the pope as a "dictator" after the pope removed Bishop Joseph Strickland from his position in Tyler, Texas. Strickland has publicly scrutinized Pope Francis for his attempt to change the Church's position on social issues, such as transgender rights and same-sex marriage.

Pope Francis also recently punished Cardinal Raymond Burke. Pope Francis announced that he planned to revoke Burke's right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary after claiming that Burke was a source of "disunity" in the church, the Associated Press reported.

Müller also spoke about his opinions on the matter, adding that he didn't know Strickland or Burke, but he commended both men as being "devout Catholics," and that calling the two leaders "enemies of the Pope" showed an "unchristian spirit."

However, some Catholic organizations continue to push back against Pope Francis' inclusivity efforts.

In September, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland instituted a policy restricting LGBTQ+ identity and expression at its schools in Northeast Ohio. The new policy stated that every person is expected "to present and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with their God-given biological sex," Newsweek reported, and it came after Pope Francis had accused some American Catholics of putting political ideology over faith in August.