Football fumble

Pope Francis has eased sacramental rules to make transgender Catholics eligible for baptism.

There is a condition, though. Only transgenders who "did not cause scandal or disorientation among other Catholics can be baptized, according to a document signed by the Pope on 21 October and posted on the website of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Associated Press reported.

Prior to the new rule, priests didn't baptize transgenders because the Church does not recognize sexes other than male and female.

There could be consequences for not following the baptismal rule. The baptism may be invalid, and the Church could punish the baptizer.

One case of baptism in the United States became controversial but not for the sex of those receiving the sacrament.

The Tattnall County High School stripped Isaac Ferrell of his football coaching job following a complaint filed against him by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes "the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church" and educates the public on nontheism, or the non-belief in God or gods.

After the team's practice on 23 October, some 20 players were baptized by Pastor Gary Few at the behest of Ferrell, a teacher at TCHS.

Video footage of the incident uploaded on the football team's official Facebook page showed Pastor Few directing players one by one to sit in a large black tub of water before saying to them, "I baptize you now, my brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," New York Post reported.

The video then showed the pastor dunking each of the 20 players' heads under the water while their teammates cheered.

The FFRF told school officials that Ferrell violated the US Constitution and abused his position.

"The (school) district must refrain from infusing its football program with religion, and Coach Ferrell cannot be allowed to preach to student-athletes or allow a local pastor to preach to and baptize students," FFRF attorney Chris Line said, according to NYP.

Tattnall County Schools Superintendent Kristen Waters, however, said the firing of Ferrell as football coach was not related to the baptism.

WJG@tribunephl_wjg