A Crucial Moment For the Church: Intercommunion Debate in Rome in May

In May, there is to be an historic meeting with the CDF and some German bishops concerning the recent German pastoral guidelines on intercommunion. Many well-informed observers of this situation worry that this meeting might turn into a compromise and into an official Vatican approval of the progressivist German approach with regard to Protestant spouses of Catholics and their access to Holy Communion. It might amount to a similarly grave undermining of the Church’s sacramental order as with Amoris Laetitia and its aftermath.

While the world has been watching the Alfie case, there has been much going on in Germany and Rome with regard to the recent 22 February 2018 pastoral guidelines as approved by a two-thirds majority of German bishops – which allow Protestant spouses of Catholics, in some individual cases – to receive Holy Communion.

After this decision was published – even though the final version of these pastoral guidelines is still not promulgated – seven diocesan bishops wrote a letter to different Vatican addressees, asking for a clarification. They argued that the German bishops had stepped over the limits of their competence since these new guidelines would establish intercommunion which, so far, has been forbidden, except for emergency cases such as the danger of imminent death.

Kath.net – the well-informed Austrian Catholic news website – subsequently claimed that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent, in April, a letter to the German bishops in which it rejects this package of pastoral guidelines. Kath.net also added that Pope Francis had given his approval to that disapproving CDF letter. Later Edward Pentin, Rome Correspondent of the National Catholic Register, added the piece of information that Pope Francis had, however, insisted that this CDF letter was not to be published before a meeting with some German bishops takes place, which he now initiated. (So far, the German bishops seem to abide by this papal instruction. Two dioceses declined to send Onepeterfive a copy of that letter.) At that upcoming, yet undated meeting (most probably in May), six German participants are invited: Cardinal Rainer Woelki, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Bishop Felix Genn, Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann, Bishop Gerhard Feige, along with the general secretary of the bishops’ conference, Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has officially invited them. It is not fully clear to what extent or whether Pope Francis will personally participate in that meeting, even though some news sources speak of a meeting with him.

To return to the CDF letter. As Edward Pentin says, Cardinal Gerhard Müller seems to have a similar position than CDF letter which has been signed by Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the current Prefect of the CDF. All of our attempts at retrieving a copy of that CDF letter have so far been in vain. But Pentin himself, based on his own sources, concludes that the CDF letter says German liberal pastoral guidelines are in contradiction to the Church’s sacramental doctrine and discipline.

Cardinal Müller has recently both given an interview about this matter of intercommunion as well as written his own pertinent essay. In both cases, he made it very clear that Protestants may only receive Holy Communion in a real situation of emergency, according to Canon Law (in Canon 844 § 4), and not in the case of a so-called mixed marriage, which the German bishops now try to declare as a sufficient cause of spiritual distress for the spouses (since they cannot receive Holy Communion together). He even called the specious term “individual cases” a “rhetorical trick.”

A possible reason as to why Pope Francis wishes this CDF letter to remain unpublished is that he is himself not happy with it. As alert observers know, it was Pope Francis himself who, during a visit at the Lutheran Church in Rome in November of 2015, opened up to the idea that a Protestant spouse could come to a decision of conscience with regard to receiving Holy Communion. He then told a Protestant spouse of a Catholic who wished to receive Holy Communion: “Speak with the Lord and go forward.” One well-informed clerical source therefore told Onepeterfive that this German move was coming “from the very top in Rome.”

Pentin himself quotes one source from the German Church: “He [the source] said that unless any resistance is mounted now, ‘you’re likely to see Communion for Protestants introduced globally, through the backdoor of the German bishops’ conference.’” [emphasis added]

The seven, mostly Bavarian, German bishops who have opposed the German pastoral handout have spoken out now repeatedly, among them Bishop Stefan Oster, and they have made it clear that it is their devotion to the Holy Eucharist that makes them resist a laxening of the rules for receiving Holy Communion. Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer – who is the successor of Cardinal Müller in Regensburg – himself stressed in a recent interview the importance of sharing the full Catholic view of the Eucharist and of the Eucharistic prayers which contain an affirmation of the papacy, the devotion to the saints, the prayers for the dead, as well as, most importantly, the belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. “To ask someone to hold that Eucharistic faith, yet at the same time to say ‘you may preserve your own confession’ is not honest,” Voderholzer explains. He also quotes a Protestant professor of theology who recently called the new German pastoral guidelines an “ecumenical botch-up.”

What so far has not been amply discussed in this matter, however, is the problem that those Protestant spouses who might now soon be allowed to receive Holy Communion are not bound first to receive the Sacrament of Penance; this fact will thus further undermine the Church’s teaching on the necessity of being in the state of grace for the reception of Holy Communion. The sacramental order of the Catholic Church will thereby further erode.

One of the seven German bishops, Cardinal Rainer Woelki – Cardinal Joachim Meisner’s former secretary and his successor as the archbishop of Cologne (the largest German diocese) – will now soon travel to Rome, together with Cardinal Reinhard Marx and some fellow bishops, in order to discuss the problem with the Vatican (and perhaps with Pope Francis himself?). Unfortunately, he will likely be the only one fully representing the orthodox line in the question of intercommunion. As Kath.net puts it:

For example, Bishop Gerhard Feige, one of the other members of the “Rome group,” has just published an article for Christ&Welt – a subsection of the German newspaper Die Zeit – in which he shows himself to be very impatient with regard to the question of intercommunion, now calling upon the German bishops “not to pass up the chance!” Feige, who is the head of the German bishops’ ecumenism commission, claims that the German bishops are merely issuing a pastoral handout, “and not a doctrinal document,” thus there is not a need to turn to Rome for approval. He regrets that “there are some who are still remaining in opposition,” indirectly pointing at the seven resisting bishops.

So far, as the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost shows, there now already exist 21 pastoral handouts spread throughout the world with regard to situations where and when Protestants may be permitted to receive Holy Communion. They all have previously been sent to Rome for approval, and they refer to real emergency situations, getting more specific as to what such emergency situations actually are. But none of them establishes a rule that Protestant spouses may, in an habitual way, receive Holy Communion without converting to the Catholic Faith. As Die Tagespost‘s journalists Regina Einig and Guido Horst explain, “all of these [national] guidelines limit and specify [canon 844], but never do they – as in the case of the German handout – intend to go on new paths concerning the admittance of non-Catholic Christians to the Sacraments.”

The overall impression of the handling of this case by Cardinal Marx is that there is a lot of meddling and murkiness. Cardinal Marx, the head of the German bishops, did not follow the normal procedure to send to Rome the new handout; he already talked publicly about the handout before it had even been finalized (which was to take place this April). Additionally, there is some evidence – as published by Edward Pentin and Kath.net – that someone in Marx’ own office leaked to a German journalist (who subsequently published it) that explicitly private and confidential letter of the seven oppositional bishops. As Pentin puts it:

Edward Pentin adds in this regard that several of his sources point to Father Hans Langendörfer, S.J. – the German bishops’ long-term secretary and the only non-bishop to be coming to Rome in May for the meeting with the CDF – as himself the “grey eminence” in the background who has much influence. Together with the German bishops’ press speaker, Matthias Kopp, he seems to have helped push some of the German bishops into accepting these liberalizing pastoral guidelines. Langendörfer’s own long-term consequential and negative role in the German Bishops’ Conference has also been reported to Onepeterfive from some well-informed German sources.

For example, in 2011, when first the scandal came to light that the German bishops’ own large publishing house, Weltbild, was also selling esoteric and pornographic books, Langendörfer had then come under criticism since he was then also a member of the board of that publishing house. The German magazine FOCUS at the time declared that Langendörfer “holds many reins in his hands” at the German Bishops’ Conference. A side remark in passing about this scandal: it was then Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Cardinal Woelki’s predecessor, who was at the forefront of the fight against this moral corruption. At the time, moreover, he also had Pope Benedict XVI’s support. The pope thus declared: “It is time to vigorously put a stop to prostitution, as well as to the widespread dissemination of material with an erotic or a pornographic content, also on the internet. ”

Interestingly now, the pope emeritus also seems to be supportive of the current initiative of the seven German bishops. According to Edward Pentin – who is relying here on solid sources, and his story has not been denied by the Vatican – “Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has given his full support to the seven bishops and their letter to the Vatican.” Bishop Voderholzer, who is said to be one of the leading forces behind the Seven Bishops’ Letter, is not only Cardinal Müller’s successor in Regensburg. He also leads the Pope Benedict Institute which had been founded in 2008 by then-Bishop Gerhard Müller with the intent to publish the collected works of Joseph Ratzinger. In the 1990s, Vorderholzer had been an academic assistant to Professor Gerhard Müller at the University of Munich.

For Pope Francis, this whole development concerning the new German intercommunion guidelines is likely an embarrassment. He was the one who made remarks that seem to support a decision of conscience in the question of intercommunion. Then he was the one telling the national bishops’ conferences to go more their own varied ways and to fostering decentralization, as well. The German bishops who picked up on these papal hints are now faced with a strong resistance from within Germany, as well as from within the Roman Curia.

When, in 2015, the pope made his own above-mentioned laxening remarks concerning intercommunion, he made an explicit reference to Cardinal Walter Kasper, saying: “Regarding the question on sharing the Lord’s Supper, it is not easy for me to answer you, especially in front of a theologian like Cardinal Kasper! I’m afraid!” Kasper had been for many years, from 2001 until 2010, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Just like with Amoris Laetitia, it now seems again the same German cardinal who has been promoting this change of Catholic teaching, and for a long time. In 2016, it was reported that Kasper “hopes for progress in the question of intercommunion.” He then explicitly pointed to mixed marriages and wished that they could together receive Holy Communion. The German cardinal also proposed at the time that the pope’s “next declaration” should allow “shared Eucharistic communion” with Protestants.

In 2017, when speaking at a conference on the Lutheran Reformation in Rome, the German cardinal claimed that spouses of mixed marriages were already “united in baptism.” Now, in response to the current conflict in Germany concerning intercommunion, he added the argument that not only are these couples “united in baptism,” but that they are additionally bound by the Sacrament of Matrimony. Additionally, he endorses the case-by-case approach in the matter of intercommunion and claims that one should not expect from Protestant spouses a better understanding of the transsubstantiation – also in contradistinction to the Protestant understanding of the consubstantiation – than what normal Catholics have. (In this text, Kasper claims that Lutheran Christians also believe that the “Eucharistic gifts are body and blood of Christ.”)

Let us now consider what German journalists have to say about this current German conflict in light of the upcoming, potentially consequential, trip of the German bishops to Rome.

Julius Müller-Meiningen, a more progressive German journalist who often speaks much truth, reports in a 27 April article for Christ&Welt that some claim that the pope did not wish that the German bishops would “expose themselves prematurely with their paper at this point of time, even though he stands, in reality, behind their wish.” Some people also claim that the CDF letter aims not at rejecting the German handout, but, rather, at improving it. In the German journalist’s eyes, the pope might hope “that Marx and Woelki will make peace with one another after the conversation” in Rome. Müller-Meiningen points out that the pope himself had already answered the questions of the seven German bishops when he told the Protestant spouses in November of 2015 at the Lutheran Church in Rome (in the journalist’s words): “See for yourself!”

Ludwig Ring-Eifel, the editor-in-chief of the German bishops’ news agency Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA), sees, similar to Müller-Meiningen, that the pope now has a problem. “Pope Francis is Put to the Test,” is the title of Ring-Eifel’s recent commentary. He now proposes that the pope also invite Bishop Voderholzer to that Rome meeting in May, in order to “’take along’ all bishops,” and also in light of the fact that the Bavarian bishop is a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and he “probably is the theological mentor of that minority among the bishops” who have written the Seven Bishops’ Letter. “Who knows, perhaps the list will get longer,” comments Ring-Eifel, when mentioning the other members of that “Rome group” which is to meet in Rome in order to find a solution for the current conflict in Germany. “If the Church’s magisterium is still to be taken seriously,” he adds, “then it has to work hard to find a clarification which is in accordance with the Tradition and Doctrine.” For Ring-Eifel, this conflict is now for the pope a “test for his process of opening up.” One conclusion, so far, is, in the journalist’s eyes, as follows: “It is not sufficient to create room for reality and to break up rigid rules. One also has to develop an idea as to what comes after.”

For the sake of the Truth of the Faith, let us thus pray for Cardinal Woelki that he may not surrender to the pressing majority at this upcoming Vatican meeting. This meeting might very well have consequences for the Universal Church. If the German Bishops’ Conference gets away with a permissive rule concerning intercommunion, the Holy Eucharist will receive, after Amoris Laetitia, a second serious blow. Much is at stake. It is to be hoped that some of the more conservative and loyal actors in this conflict have learned their lessons from that first doctrinal attack, as it were. Pope Francis once reported that he heard that Pope Benedict, “with the best Bavarian style,” had once shown some people the door who had come to him in protest against Pope Francis. That reported incident might well have taken place during one of the two tumultuous family synods. Now in 2018, and with regard to intercommunion, Benedict might well have sympathetically opened the door to some of these critics.

Update: As we go to press, the Vatican press office has announced that the meeting with the German bishops will take place 3 May. Bishop Voderholzer will thankfully be now also part of the German delegation, which will meet with several heads of Roman Dicasteries, among them Archbishop Luis Ladaria and Cardinal Kurt Koch, both of whom had originally received the Seven Bishops’ Letter opposing the German intercommunion guidelines. Additionally, there will be present Msgr. Markus Graulich (who defends the traditional teaching on marriage and the Sacramtents) and Fr. Hermann Geissler (a Cardinal Newman expert). These four names give hope for a good outcome from the conversations.

Additionally, the German bishops’ news website Katholisch.de reports now that it is unusual that the Vatican publishes ahead of a meeting the members of the Roman Curia who will be participating. The article also mentions that Bishop Feige and Bishop Wiesemann had been leading figures in the draft of the German pastoral guidelines with regard to intercommunion.

Update 30 April, 1:40 pm: The post has been updated with regard to Cardinal Müller. According to different sources, he does not seem to have been involved in the CDF letter as sent by Archbishop Ladaria. Some words of Edward Pentin were unclear about this matter.

“Pope will be having a terrible May.”

Just two days ago, the Pope tweeted, “Want peace? Ban all weapons. Then we will have no more wars.” There now is no way to avoid stating the obvious: this Pope is a fool and a moron. He simply will not know that he is having a bad month because he is too stupid. What remains to be seen is whether the heretics in cahoots with him will get away with what they are trying to accomplish.

God, save your Church.

Pentin himself quotes one source from the German Church: “He [the source] said that unless any resistance is mounted now, ‘you’re likely to see Communion for Protestants introduced globally, through the backdoor of the German bishops’ conference.’” [emphasis added]

Hate to break it to our Roman Catholics, but Christians [whom they call Protestants] have been participating in the Lord's Supper for a long, long, long time.

And there is a difference between Christianity and Roman Catholicism.

Yes, I know about “gaslighting”. However, again, I just think this Pope is too stupid to gaslight. Now, I think very stupid people can be very dangerous. However, at this point, Pope Francis could achieve much more, and more quickly, if he didn't send out tweets like that and if he didn't overplay his hand so dramatically. Two years ago, people like us already well recognized what we were dealing with in this Pope, but many other faithful Catholics either were in denial or were too congenitally conservative to speak up yet. Well, the relentless nonsense in which this Pope engages — from denying there is a Hell and having a spokesman issue a mere non-denial denial to hosting yet another purely secular conference at the Vatican to which pop stars are invited — has forced the hand of more good Catholics. The prayers have increased. A smarter man would let sleeping dogs lie while he more quietly plotted to undermine the faith. But Pope Francis is not a smart man. And thank God for that.

You may be right. His ambiguity and self-contradiction seem habitual, if not congenital.

On the other hand, it might be habitual because long-practiced.

Maybe like Columbo "crazy-like-a-fox."

For some reason, he doesn't WANT to lull us into sleepytime acquiesence. He seems to deliberately aggravate our allergic and immune reactions. Admittedly, that doesn't seem to be the way to sneak things in, but he apparently does it deliberately.

Could anything have been more obvious than the Delphi Technique game he played with the "Family" Synod process? He went so far --- overt conference-stacking, bullying, even blocking people's mail --- that cardinals were practically shouting at him.

I admit I can't figure him out.

I also can't figure out why practically nobody has come forward to stand with Burke. That last "Confusion in the Church" conference 4 weeks ago in Rome was just him, Schneider and Zen. Where the hell are all the rest of them?

“Maybe like Columbo “crazy-like-a-fox.””

OK, Mrs. Don-O, now you've gone too far! My beloved Colombo?! That man was a genius - albeit a fictional one. Columbo had at least 30 points on Frankie's IQ.

I, too, have wondered what the heck is up with the bishops and Cardinals, and I've done some sleuthing. I have a couple of well placed sources. No reason for you to believe me, but, if you'll give me the benefit of the doubt, here goes.

Apparently, that book The Dictator Pope is accurate: Pope Francis is a nasty piece of work, not a kind human being, and is indeed a dictator. He really does have narcissistic personality disorder and cannot stand to be questioned, criticized, or second-guessed. He has a hot temper and an unpleasant personality. Also, he is in NO WAY humble. So, any bishop or Cardinal who takes him on will be personally banished (at best) or destroyed via blackmail or a set-up with false evidence (at worst). (Why do you think Cardinal Pell, who seems to have found evidence of financial chicanery at the Vatican, was sent packing back to Australia to face bogus charges?) OK, so let's say a brave bishop or Cardinal reasons, “I don't care about myself. I am going to fight for Christ's church"? Well, there is a real and well-founded fear among all but the most despicable Cardinals, such as Cupich in Chicago, who is on the same page as Pope Francis, that riling Pope Francis will provoke him to wreak even more, and possible permanent, damage on the CHURCH HERSELF. Right now, Pope Francis is engaging in all sorts of foolishness that isn't Catholic, such as that Health Summit this past weekend, to which Katy Perry and Tony Robbins were invited. But what if the Pope, incensed at being challenged by some brave bishops, simply announces that, say, “All baptised Christians are welcome to receive Communion from now on”? You may say, “He can't do that”. However, what if he WERE to do exactly that? Utter chaos would ensue. And there may be no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

This isn't my phrase, but it is one someone on the internet has tagged Pope Francis with, and it is apt: “The Evil Clown”. We are dealing with an Evil Clown. I don't judge the bishops and Cardinals — well, except for Cupich and Newark Tobin and that jerk in San Diego — as harshly as some do because there is an argument to be made that for the sake of the faith and the Church, we perhaps should not rile Pope Francis. God only knows how we may react.

Won’t this communion confusion also have the opposite effect: Catholics married to Baptists, non-doms, episcopals, etc, go to those church services and receive their version of communion. Not a sacrament, no grace. So then we will have a mish-mash of religions and ideas from people all going to various churches, so there will be no communion at all as it all gets watered down. no distinction will be made between communions, then masses, then “services”. This is a deliberate way to blend everything into one religion.

I've read The Dictator Pope (Sire), The Lost Shepherd (Lawler) and To Change the Church (Douthat) and they all seem to run together in my head. I do have the distinct impression that Sire's book is the one that goes the furthest in saying Francis is both psychologically unbalanced and quite unscrupulous.

Have not read George Neumayr's The Political Pope. Have you? Is it worth $16 on my Kindle or should I wait for it to come down? I Am trying to figure this guy out.

Why did he blow past the Archbishop of Liverpool, the British primate Nichols, and even his own appointed pro-death buddy, Paglia, to not only "advocate for," but try to actively rescue Alfie Evans?

Is he just impulsive, sentimental and erratic? Or image-driven, hoping to grab the spotlight as His Holy Sweet Humbleness, Rescuer of Children?

Or could there be a dollop of goodness in him? Seriously. I suppose in justice and charity we should consider that.

Communicatio in sacris is among other things, a visible sign of full unity in faith. Which is to say that there are no serious differences between those sharing the Cup. The Fathers of the Church were quite clear on this subject, which is why they regarded communing with heretics as a specie of apostasy. Or to put it in simpler language, you are who you are in communion with. Of all the many dangerous innovations in the Christian West, I have regarded this as among the most insidious. That Rome has, at least for the most part, refused to cross this line up until now was a source of encouragement. But if Catholic Communion is now to be extended to Protestants, then I think that is going to be a game changer in the way that Orthodox Christians perceive the Roman Church.

Mrs Don-O, I'd have to be sitting across the table from you, having coffee — or. better yet, wine! — to make the case that Pope Francis didn't really do what was needed for Baby Alfie. The Pontiff was careful to speak compassionately about the parents, yet he did not contradict the message of the people he has supported since he became Pope. Acti pons speak louder, after all. and Pope Francis did dissolve the Pope JPII Pontifical Academy for Life for a Reason. Pope Francis does not believe in absolutes, at least not where human life is concerned. “Dignity” is the word Francis invokes often...as so the proponents of euthanasia, a few of whom have been appointed to Francis’s own version of the Academy for Life. From what I have read of Neumeyer’s book, it is well written, but much more optimistic about Pope Francis than the other books. I'd read it, although I don't think I'd pay for it. I also suspect Neumeyer himself is less optimistic about Francis than he used to be. Really, at this point, faithful Catholics need to be realistic rather than optimistic about this Pope.

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