Just a few days after the publication of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, Archbishop Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, has confirmed the issue remains open: “We will discuss it without any taboos. The Orthodox experience could be of help to us”Read the rest here.
“A new approach needs to be taken with respect to the administration of the sacraments to remarried divorcees.” Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri is the prelate the Pope nominated Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. Born in 1940, the Tuscan prelate has four decades of experience as a member of the Vatican diplomatic corps and as of the end of September he has had the task of renewing the Synod institute that will meet twice – in 2014 and 2015 – to discuss the family, after a questionnaire or consultation containing 39 questions on family issues.
In the “Evangelii Gaudium” Francis does not explicitly mention the issue of the administration of sacraments to remarried divorcees. However, he does write that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” How should these words be read?
“We should pay attention to the phrase that follows immediately after this: These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness.” The Pope presents these two elements together. This means he wants these issues to be examined with prudence and therefore with attention to the Church’s doctrine. But he also wants them to be examined with boldness, which for me means “without fear”, taking individual circumstances into account.”
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4 comments:
I know that this sounds nice to many Orthodox readers. However, it is my understanding that in Orthodoxy, a second marriage is possible only if a Church court grants the divorce, and only if the Church blesses a second marriage. Without the Church granting both the divorce and the new marriage, the person in this situation cannot receive the Sacraments.
The situation that Archbishop Baldisseri is describing, and which many Catholics (especially the German bishops) want to sanction, is that of Catholics who, after their Church marriage has broken down, marry civilly WITHOUT a Church blessing, and then want to receive communion despite being in this situation. The Catholic Church, remember, does not grant divorces, only annulments. If my understanding is correct, then what Abp. Baldisseri and the German bishops want is still the equivalent of allowing adulterers to receive the sacraments without first repenting of their relationship -- something that not even the Orthodox Church allows.
Carlos is correct here. What I see coming out of this is a discussion on what is pastorally possible within the constraints of Catholic sacramental theology as it pertains to marriage. For example, if a remarried couple embraces marital continence (i.e. live as "brother and sister"), then that may present a situation in which they may receive the sacraments. This is not unheard of already, given that many convert couples have irregular marital circumstances that often take years to be sorted out (if ever).
Archbishop Muller already slapped this down last month. It's not going to happen.
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