Pope tells priests to welcome divorced Catholics

[cmotherofpirl]

Pope tells priests to welcome divorced Catholics


Pope Benedict XVI has said that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics who suffer because they cannot receive Communion must be welcomed in parishes as Catholics who witness to the importance of the Eucharist.

At the same time, he said, if a priest, acting out of compassion for their suffering, gives them the Eucharist, he risks undermining the dignity and indissolubility of the sacrament of marriage.

"We all know that this is a particularly painful situation," the pope said on Monday during a meeting with about 140 priests, religious and deacons from the Valle d'Aosta region where he was vacationing.

Catholic News Service reports that the pope added that he knew the issue could get complicated and said, "Given these people's situation of suffering it must be studied."

The meeting, which was closed to the press, lasted about two hours. The pope's opening remarks and responses to questions from the priests were transcribed and published yesterday in the Vatican newspaper.

"The pope is not a prophet," he told the priests. "He is infallible in very rare circumstances, as we all know."

Therefore, he said, in trying to find ways to spread the Gospel, to strengthen the faith of Catholics and to help the suffering, "I share your questions. I, too, suffer."

Asked specifically about ministry to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Benedict told the priests, "None of us has a ready-made solution, including because each person's situation is different."

"I would say that a particularly painful situation is that of those who were married in the church, but were not really believers and did so just for tradition, and then finding themselves in a new, nonvalid marriage, convert, find the faith and feel excluded from the sacrament," he said.

Pope Benedict said that when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he asked several bishops' conferences and experts to study the problem, which in effect was "a sacrament celebrated without faith."

He said he had thought that the church marriage could be considered invalid because the faith of the couple celebrating the sacrament was lacking.

"But from the discussions we had, I understood that the problem was very difficult" and that further study was necessary, he said.

SOURCE
Divorced Catholics must be welcomed in parishes, pope tells priests (Catholic News Service 27/7/05)

[Guest Eremite]

[quote]"The pope is not a prophet," he told the priests. "He is infallible in very rare circumstances, as we all know."[/quote]

It's good to see the Pope treading carefully on such a sensitive issue. While he explicitly avoids the impression that he is speaking magisterially, he encourages theological reflection on the problem. It's reminiscient of Pope Paul VI, whose established commission approved of contraception, but ultimately, he had to reject their findings. The inquiry was nevertheless a good thing.

This situation comes up in the Gospel of John:

[quote]Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back."

The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'

For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true."

The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.[/quote]

It was probably tough for the woman to leave her "husband", just as it was tough for the young man not to go back and bury his father. But the call of Christ is demanding, though compassionate.

[zunshynn]

[quote]Therefore, he said, in trying to find ways to spread the Gospel, to strengthen the faith of Catholics and to help the suffering, "I share your questions. I, too, suffer."
[/quote]



But I'm worried people will take his statement about infallibility to mean that certain things like, remarriage, and abortion, and contraception, which are not dogmas per se, to mean that they might be ok, and therefore, justifiably ignored.

[theculturewarrior]

This might be a stupid question, and I pray that I don't touch a nerve with anybody. I really just want to know.

I didn't always want to be single, but now that I have embraced my vocation, I love it. It has opened me to a lot of graces, and I am thinking that that is because I am doing the will of God by embracing my vocation.

It is God's will that everybody be Catholic. I think it is also God's will that every Catholic receive the Eucharist in a state of grace, but I could be wrong.

So, if doing God's will makes people happy, wouldn't living with a divorced spouse as brother and sister make someone happy, especially if it meant that they could receive the Eucharist? I think union with God trumps conjugal union, but I have never married, so I don't know.

[Carrie]

[quote name='theculturewarrior' date='Jul 28 2005, 05:10 PM']
So, if doing God's will makes people happy, wouldn't living with a divorced spouse as brother and sister make someone happy, especially if it meant that they could receive the Eucharist?
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Just a guess, but if they divorced they probably don't want to live with each other under any circumstances.

[zabbazooey]

You mean an ex-husband and an ex-wife living together? I know some couples where that would be impossible and even harder on their children.

[StColette]

I'm actually really glad to see the Pope reaching out to divorced Catholics. It's about time that this actually happened. I've seen a lot of divorced Catholics leave the Church because they felt unwelcome by the Church because of their divorces. Now while they can't receive Communion if they are remarried and their former marriage hasn't been annulled, at least the Church can give them support and especially prayers.

This subject hits very close to home since my own parents are divorced. My father has not remarried, and vows never to remarry. He felt unwelcome in the Church for quite a long time after he and my mom divorced. One priest told him he could not receive because he was divorced. And this is not the case. A divorce Catholic may receive Communion as long as they have not remarried without an annulment and as long as they've been to Confession.

Anyway just a little of my opinion on the subject.

God Bless,
Jennie

[Guest Eremite]

[quote]You mean an ex-husband and an ex-wife living together? I know some couples where that would be impossible and even harder on their children. [/quote]

The Holy Father is addressing people who have divorced and are in a second marriage, rather than two people who are divorced but still living together.

A lot of lukewarm Catholics who get married in the Church, get divorced and then remarried to someone else, and later have a conversion back to the faith, are then morally obligated to end their relationship with the new "spouse", who they may have children with.

The Holy Father questioned whether a lack of involvement in the Catholic faith during the time of the original marriage could invalidate it, but such a proposition, he discovered, poses quite a bit of problems. For example, where would that leave the Sacrament of Confirmation when conferred upon lukewarm Catholics? Or even the Sacrament of Holy Orders, if a man did not have sufficient faith when he was ordained.

[Carrie]

[quote name='StColette' date='Jul 28 2005, 05:20 PM']A divorce Catholic may receive Communion as long as they have not remarried without an annulment and as long as they've been to Confession.
Anyway just a little of my opinion on the subject.

God Bless,
Jennie
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Agreed.

[photosynthesis]

i dunno. I was atheist at the time I was confirmed, so I'm not sure how valid my sacrament was.

[zabbazooey]

I've never been married, so I have no idea...

[catholicflower]

StColette- totally agree my parents are in the mist of a diverce adn my mom lives a chaste life and also has said that she will neither remarry nor seek an annulment. She goes to mass everyday and is very holy, but the DRE at my parish would not let her help with CCD.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Jul 28 2005, 03:30 PM']i dunno.  I was atheist at the time I was confirmed, so I'm not sure how valid my sacrament was.
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The sacrament most likely was valid but the grace in it can be dead or dormant until you return to grace.. You would have to talk to a priest to know for sure I guess.

[StColette]

[quote name='catholicflower' date='Jul 28 2005, 04:27 PM']StColette- totally agree my parents are in the mist of a diverce adn my mom lives a chaste life and also has said that she will neither remarry nor seek an annulment. She goes to mass everyday and is very holy, but the DRE at my parish would not let her help with CCD.
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[/quote]

Aww I'm sorry to hear that the DRE will not let her help with CCD. I'll definitely be praying for your mom, the DRE, and you of course. Hopefully the DRE might see this in the News and will reconsider.

God Bless,
Jennie

[catholicflower]

Thanks :

[theculturewarrior]

I apologize if I have been unclear. I meant marriages in which one or both of the spouses remarried.

[Oik]

I think it is important to stress that priests should reach out to civilly (sp) divorced couple. I think it is an iomportant step to the spouses reuniting.

What a lot of people don't understand is that the civil law system has annulments too. This annulment says that you were never really divorced in th first place.




While it may be a tough road to travel, reuniting with a spouse is not impossible. Unfortunatly is is wholly rejected by our society.


My parents have obtained a civil divorce.


I have spoken with my Mom once about this. I let her know the Truth about the teachings of the Church. I toold her flat out that she could and should reunite with my Father.

She told me that that is impossible and I told her that all they would have to do is go to Confession, ask for forgiveness and move back in together.

Of course, they should also obtain a civil annulment. She however, knows that already, she is a lawyer (and is the one who told me about civil annulments).

[Birgitta Noel]

[quote name='catholicflower' date='Jul 28 2005, 04:27 PM']StColette- totally agree my parents are in the mist of a diverce adn my mom lives a chaste life and also has said that she will neither remarry nor seek an annulment. She goes to mass everyday and is very holy, but the DRE at my parish would not let her help with CCD.
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Ok, that's all I'm going to say about that! But perhaps she should consider that your Mom could be a wonderful example of someone who is in a difficult circumstance, but living a very holy life.

[track2004]

I think the Church is funny when it comes to divorces. I'm not illigitimate but my parents were never married in the eyes of the Church... right.... There are just so many rules and cra p to deal with. So this marriage didn't exist thanks to an annulment, but there are magically kids and the parents can't go out and find real love because they messed it up once. They also can't recieve communion because it's obviously too horrible of a mess up to be forgiven, even if they are chaste forever. Argh.