Posted on 10/29/2015 4:34:14 AM PDT by marshmallow
In 1985 Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a letter that eerily addresses the questions raised at the family synod
The recent relatio at the end of the family synod was, it was hoped, going to provide some resolution to the vigorous debate on the best means of pastorally accompanying couples who are divorced and civilly remarried, and specifically address the so-called Kasper proposal of admitting them, on a case-by-case basis, to Communion.
The space to manoeuvre between the concepts of doctrine and pastoral practice was hotly contested, with some suggesting that the decision about whether or not to receive Communion was a matter for the individual consciences of divorced and remarried couples.
The final wording of the synod document famously said nothing at all about Communion or access to the sacraments for people in these situations. And by saying nothing, the debate rages on until, one hopes, Pope Francis issues his own, definitive, take on the matter. The synod, after all, is simply a way for the Pope to canvass opinion before making up his own mind.
Another way for the Pope to inform his thinking is, of course, to reflect upon the thoughts of previous popes on these issues. In 1985, the then Cardinal Ratzinger, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, sent a letter to Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle in which he eerily addresses, almost point-by-point, exactly the questions raised by the Synodal relatio. And he does so by rooting the answers squarely in the magisterium of the Church and in the jurisprudence of the Roman Rota and Apostolic Signatura. This is especially interesting because many commentators have recently sought to establish some clear blue water between doctrine, law, individual conscience and pastoral practice on just these issues.
On the subject of the divorced and civilly remarried..........
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicherald.co.uk ...
You cannot separate doctrine from pastoral practice and any desire to do so can only be motivated by a heterodox heart.
>> The synod, after all, is simply a way for the Pope to canvass opinion before making up his own mind.
...make up HIS mind? Canvass the opinions of man? I’m confused. I thought the Pope channels GOD.
Thank you for posting this.
Thank you for the post
The Pope does not "channel" anyone, but his job is to protect the Faith handed down to the Apostles by Jesus Christ, and somebody needs to remind him of that fact.
“Channeling” is not something Catholic do.
God is always first in our thoughts and in our actions.
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