The Pope receives Diego Neria Lejárraga as an invited, private guest. What's wrong with that?

Diego Neria Lejárraga

What's wrong with that?

Nothing at all ... although a couple of Catholic writers seem to be raising a few red flags, stopping short of suggesting something is wrong about it.  This, despite the fact no one knows any details about the personal meeting or what was said - except the Holy Father and his guests.

Did I mention that Diego Neria Lejárraga is a transgender male?

A transgender man from Spain had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday. 

Hoy, a newspaper in the Extremadura region of Spain, reported that Diego Neria Lejárraga and his fiancée had a private audience with the pontiff that took place at his official residence.

Neria told Francis in a letter that some of his fellow parishioners at the church he attends in the Spanish city of Plasencia rejected him after he underwent sex-reassignment surgery. He said a priest even called him “the devil’s daughter.”

Francis called Neria on Christmas Eve after receiving his letter.

The private audience took place a month later.

“After hearing him on many occasions, I felt that he would listen to me,” Neria told Hoy in an interview the newspaper published on Sunday. - Source  Original Spanish report here.

So.  Why would the Holy Father reach out to this man?  I think it's obvious - the man felt rejected by the Church.  The Church doesn't know what to do with these people.  Neria reached out, the Holy Father responded.  That is what he does.  Nothing wrong with that.

As bishop of La Crosse Wisconsin, Cardinal Burke permitted a transgendered woman to begin a religious community, or pious association of the faithful. As bishop, Burke said he did so in consultation with the Holy See. A concerned lay woman went over the Burke's head and complained to the Vatican. As a result, the nascent religious community was disbanded.

In a letter, Bishop Burke responded to the complaint, writing:

"With regard to Sister Julie Green, F.S.J., the recognition of the association of the faithful which she and Sister Anne LeBlanc founded was granted only after consultation with the Holy See," he writes. "These are matters which are confidential and do not admit of any further comment.... I can assure you that Sister Julie Green in no way espouses a sex change operation as right or good. In fact, she holds it to be seriously disordered. Therefore, I caution you very much about the rash judgments which you made in your letter to the Apostolic Nuncio." - Source

Today some people dispute the story about Cardinal Burke, nevertheless it is true, local people know many the story well, knowing both the informant as well as the unfortunate victim.

To my knowledge Cardinal Burke has never responded to the story publicly.

I expect the Holy Father is simply trying to respond to a situation as did Cardinal Burke.