According to the findings of a German bishops’ report released on Dec. 22, most of the country’s 66 bishops now favor allowing divorced Catholics living in new civil unions to participate in confession and receive Communion in “particular justified instances.” The report said the exclusion of divorced Catholics was “no longer comprehensible” to many priests. “For many Catholics engaged in church life, the pastoral care of faithful with a civil divorce and living in new unions is a test of the church’s credibility,” the document continued. “The church’s teaching and pastoral work must uphold Jesus’ instruction on the indissolubility of marriage, but also his invoking of God’s mercy on those who are sinful.” The summary said most divorced German Catholics considered their separation and new relationship “morally justified” and viewed their consequent exclusion from sacraments as “constituting unjustified discrimination and being merciless.”
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At his installation Mass, the pope said, "in this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.”
Leo XIV said, “the church’s social doctrine is called to provide insights that facilitate dialogue between science and conscience, and thus make an essential contribution to better understanding, hope and peace.”
Spain’s confraternities often make headlines in the foreign press as their Holy Week processions have become a tourist attraction, demonstrating the complex reality of their fame.
Beyond a simple affirmation of the pope’s authority, the letter by Arturo Sosa, S.J., called attention to its particular place of importance in the life of the Jesuits.
The Church—the institution as well as the individuals—needs to minister to the millions of divorced Catholics by both changing ingrained attitudes and reaching out in love. Yes, the Church is and should be pro-marriage, but, like its Lord, it must also love and support those whose marriages have failed. It’s a fine line to walk, but it is necessary.
( Edward E. from http://canadianmedicines.net )