By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 7, 2025 / 16:00 pm
Two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed their approval of President Donald Trump’s executive order that bans biological men from competing in women’s sports.
“We welcome the president’s executive order that protects opportunities for women and girls to compete in sports safely and fairly,” stated Diocese of Winona–Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron and Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey in a joint statement.
Barron, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, and O’Connell, chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education, emphasized the importance of upholding human dignity and equality between men and women in education and sports.
Trump’s executive order, issued on Feb. 5, prevents biological men from competing in women’s sports in federally funded educational institutions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) swiftly complied with the order on Feb. 6, banning biological men from competing on women’s teams.
“Athletics not only provide valuable educational opportunities but also serve as a celebration of the human body as a gift from God,” stated the bishops, citing Catholic teaching on human sexuality as expressed in the catechism.
This reaffirms the Church’s stance on the equality of men and women and the importance of respecting the genetic and biological differences between males and females.
