A Mexican court has ruled in favor of the Diocese of Querétaro after a lawsuit filed by a transgender individual seeking to change the sex indicated on the church’s baptismal certificate and registry was dismissed.
The complaint, filed in 2021, aimed to alter the baptismal record to reflect the individual’s gender identity as a woman rather than a man. However, the Catholic Church declined to make the change, citing its doctrine regarding the immutable nature of human beings as created by God.
Following the Church’s refusal, the complainant sought intervention from Mexico’s National Data Protection Institute (INAI), which issued an order mandating the Diocese of Querétaro to modify the records. With legal support from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, the diocese contested this decision, resulting in its annulment by a federal district court.
The complainant appealed this ruling to the 22nd circuit of the Federal Collegial Court of Appeals, which ultimately sided with the Diocese of Querétaro. Despite further attempts to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), the case was not taken up, with the court referring to existing jurisprudence on the matter.
This verdict upholds the autonomy of religious institutions, as guaranteed by Mexico’s Political Constitution and international agreements. ADF International argued that baptismal records serve the sole purpose of maintaining accurate historical records of sacramental administration by the Church and should not be subject to external interference.
The outcome of this case underscores the importance of respecting religious autonomy and highlights regional trends in legal proceedings concerning sacramental records and gender identity. Similar cases in Latin America, such as those in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, have seen courts uphold the separation of church and state and the autonomy of religious organizations.
In essence, these legal battles reflect attempts to impose external demands on religious institutions, posing a threat to their independence and integrity. The ruling in favor of the Diocese of Querétaro reaffirms the principle of religious freedom and protects the Church from unwarranted interference in its internal affairs.
