When our bishop had classes on helping us to implement Amoris Laetitia, it was a very conservative approach with many cautions concerning that famous footnote.
In fact, about three years ago or so, our bishop warned us priests that if we ever illicitly (invalidly) convalidated a marriage where annulments had not been attained or weren't sucessful, we would be "suspended."
But at our meeting, I asked the canon-lawyer priest of our diocese about welcoming those in illicit marriages (invalid) if they could be lectors, communion ministers, CCD teachers, Catholic school teachers and the like. The answer was a resounding no.
But this morning, I find that what I thought was only logical as it concerns that famous footnote is being promoted by one of Pope Francis' closest collaborators at the G-9.
This is from this morning's CRUX and you can read the entire article HERE. But this is the excerpt:
Prelate close to pope: Divorced/remarried can be teachers, lectors, godfathers
- John L. Allen Jr. Mar 4, 2018
Summing up, one could say that (Bishop Marcello) Semeraro didn’t walk back from the cautious “yes” Francis delivered on the Communion question, extending it to a range of other roles in the Church from which divorced and civilly remarried Catholics at times have been excluded, including:
- Member of the parish council
- Lector at Mass
- Religion teacher in a Catholic school
- Catechism teacher
- Catholic charities workers
- Serving as godfather/godmother for a baptism
- MY COMMENT: Just as I proposed at our meeting on Amoris Laetitia, given that footnote, it is all logical, no?
8 comments:
So what happens if a parish priest refuses to allow DARWADONACNABAS* couples to take these roles?
* Divorced And Remarried Without A Decree Of Nullity And Cohabitating Not As Brother And Sister.
Father with due respect you should have known this was coming considering Pope Francis thinks priests like you are “little monsters” as well as your parish secretaries for barring people from sacraments and the life of the Church.
“A new general norm as in canon law, equal for all, is absolutely out of place,” he said. What’s needed, he said, is to “accompany” specific situations.
Jesus answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” Mk 10: 11-12
Jesus said "anyone", not some, or those who go through their conscience with discernment and accompaniment. That is very clear, and has always been the teaching of the true Church. That is called equality, that is to say, no special favours to anyone that would otherwise create an injustice for everyone else.
It seems the Roman Church is headed towards Apostasy, precisely through those in the highest places of the hierarchy of the Church, as Cardinal Sarah has warned us.
Scandalous.
Religion and Catechism teachers and godfathers/godmothers are to be exemplars of the Faith, paragons of virtue, and knowledgeable and in full agreement with tenets and teaching of the Catholic Church. These should be given instruction, or at least have a good understanding, in their roles ,responsibilities and expectations in what they are undertaking. There can be, in some cases, a certain leeway with Lectors and members of the Parish council, but even here there can be difficulties since these are prominent positions in the parish. It seems to me from my reading of Amoris Laetitia, and from what I understand and have read of interpretations, is that the footnote referring to Communion has to do with exceptional cases. The problem for the parish priest is that which of these discerning couples that present themselves to him, and desire to receive the sacraments and hold certain positions in the parish, are to be given permission to do so?
What is the role of the parish priest in all this? Can he refuse the couple in what they desire? Does his discernment count for anything? Will there eventuality be a carte blanche accommodation or acquiescence, so as to maintain good relations with the bishop who of course can expected to be the 'beneficiary' of many an appeal ?
Father McDonald, as far as what the canon lawyer told you, as long as that remains Diocesan policy I would thank the bishop for making your life less complicated.
I'd honestly like to know what the pope and his disciples hope to achieve when all is said and done. Once sin, tradition, rubrics and transcendence are forcefully purged from our list of Catholic concerns, and once ordinary Catholics figure out that there's no point belonging to a "church" that doesn't stand for anything other than what the reigning pope happens to prefer, what exactly does the papal cartel expect the "Catholic Church" to look like?
Rood Screen,
Empty!
Sounds like you are getting sound teaching in your diocese...The Eastern Orthodox Church does allow for divorce and remarriage in certain instances (adultery being a prime example), but if a divorcee of that Church remarries, such must be a church ceremony, not a civil one. Regretfully, marriages in a church seem to be declining everywhere...go to your local Publix for instance, you can find magazines that feature "destination weddings", like marriage on the beach, in a vineyard, at a plantation---symbolizing that the reception part of the wedding is more important than the religious part.
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