Posted on 09/20/2014 5:54:47 PM PDT by narses
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In advance of a global synod in Rome next month, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas J. Tobin said Thursday that the church should consider simplifying its annulment process and lifting the ban on Holy Communion for Catholics who are divorced and civilly remarried. Bishop Tobin addressed the issue in his column in the Rhode Island Catholic, the Diocese of Providence newspaper. He noted that bishops from around the world will examine the subject at the synod on “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization,” with Pope Francis, next month and again next year.
Catholic Church uses five criteria in deciding to grant an annulment
Read Bishop Tobin's column in the Rhode Island Catholic In his column, Bishop Tobin advocates a more “pastoral approach” to the dilemma — without compromising church teachings. Any changes should be done at a global level, he said.
“Although the teaching of Christ and his Church about the permanence of marriage is clear and undeniable, the lived reality is that many individuals, for a variety of reasons perhaps — personal, catechetical or cultural — are ill-equipped to fulfill the demands of the law,” Bishop Tobin wrote.
Should divorced and civilly remarried Catholics be allowed to receive Communion? (4,005 votes) Yes: 67% (2,690) No: 33% (1,315)
While he doesn’t have all the answers, Bishop Tobin wrote, “Nevertheless, my forty-one years as a priest and nearly twenty-two as a bishop have convinced me that the status quo is unacceptable. For the spiritual well-being of the divorced and remarried members of our Catholic Family, for the salvation of their souls, we’ve got to do something!”
The answers should be determined “by the experts … including our Pope and bishops and theologians, who are a whole lot smarter and holier and a lot better versed in this than I am.”
The bishop’s column, “Divorced and Remarried Catholics — We’ve Got to Do Something!”, is his second since he took a hiatus from his biweekly “Without a Doubt” feature in June 2013. He said he took that hiatus “to relax a little bit, and refresh my perspective again. …”
Comments flooded the bishop’s Facebook page within hours of publication.
“Where did you get your Bishop’s license? Out of a Cracker Jack Box?” wrote one.
“Your Excellency. It saddens me to read your words. Jesus spoke very clearly about marriage. Your argument tries to pit Jesus against Himself.”
Bishop Tobin said, “Someone on the Facebook page demanded my resignation. Some of the comments on Facebook present me as a big left-wing heretic now.” A noted conservative whose comments have sparked controversy — most recently by publicly taking issue with some of Pope Francis’ more liberal views — Bishop Tobin chuckled at the irony of being branded as “left-leaning.”
In a phone interview, Bishop Tobin said the issue “is an enormous pastoral challenge for the church.”
“I think it’s something we have to look at,” Bishop Tobin said. “I was very clear about saying I don’t have the answers. But we’ve got a challenge here. We’ve got a problem. We have to at least look at it and talk about it. Otherwise, if we go through this long synod process for the next two years and end up where we are now, that will be a failure.”
Given plummeting numbers of practicing Catholics, Bishop Tobin said by allowing people who are divorced and civilly remarried to receive Holy Communion, “it seems to me it would encourage them to participate in the life of the church.”
Wrestling with this issue, Bishop Tobin wrote, “I often think about, and truly agonize over, the many divorced Catholics who have ‘dropped out’ of the Church completely, as well as those who attend Mass faithfully every Sunday, sometimes for years, without receiving the consolation and joy of the Holy Eucharist.
“And I know that I would much rather give Holy Communion to these long-suffering souls than to pseudo-Catholic politicians who parade up the aisle every Sunday for Holy Communion and then return to their legislative chambers to defy the teachings of the Church by championing same-sex marriage and abortion.”
Bishop Tobin made news in 2009 when he forbade then-U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy from receiving Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights. He said in Thursday’s phone interview that he was not referencing Kennedy in his column, calling it “an old story.”
Bishop Tobin said there is “common misperception” that people who are divorced cannot receive Communion. Divorce, in and of itself, “is not a hindrance to Holy Communion,” he said.
“It becomes a problem if someone is divorced and remarried without the blessing of the church. Of course, as I’ve said, now we have many, many people who are in that situation,” the bishop said.
“The only way that divorced people who remarry can be readmitted to Holy Communion, is to have their first marriage annulled and their second marriage blessed by the church.”
In his column, Bishop Tobin asks, “For starters, can we at least think about simplifying the annulment process so that it’s more akin to the current practice of receiving various dispensations for marriage, handled completely at the local level with the oversight of the Diocesan Bishop?”
“Can we eliminate the necessity of having detailed personal interviews, hefty fees, testimony from witnesses, psychological exams and automatic appeals to other tribunals?”
He wrote: instead, “Can we rely more on the conscientious personal judgment of spouses about the history of their marriage … and their worthiness to receive Holy Communion.”
Whatever the outcome of the deliberations in Rome, “it should be adopted by the Universal Church,” he wrote. “To impose local solutions to this widespread problem would be completely dishonest and misleading, causing only confusion and division.”
The initial version of this story was published at 8:55 a.m. Thursday and updated at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
On Twitter: @karenleez
the 100% accurate answer is ....NO.
So, according to the Church, there is never a valid reason to divorce? Abandonment is never considered?
From a sacramental standpoint the marriage doesn’t end just because one spouse abandons the other. The two people are still married in the eyes of God, which makes the abandonment all the more horrific for the guilty party.
Protestants will (or should) understand this as well as Catholics, as Christ is extremely direct and clear on the matter in scripture. Divorcing from the sacrament simply is impossible; a man-created concept that doesn't exist and cannot ever happen under any circumstances whatsoever.
The sacramental marriage either happened or it didn't. An annulment merely acknowledges there never was sacramental marriage to begin with.
Okay. So what happens to the woman and the child? Does the Church take care of them?
Yes,Look to the church as Jesus .
This is actually an answer that I’ve been looking for for years when I’ve asked similar questions.
Every time I get a response, it has to do with the husband’s sin and what’s going to happen to him. You’re the first person to address the very real-world crisis of the woman and the child.
Thank you.
As long as the mother doesn't remarry or shack-up with someone else she's fine. The child is innocent regardless.
Our Lord Jesus also mention divorce in the Gospels.AAABEST you should mention that you are with a break away church not in Communion with Rome.
Matt. 5:31-32 - the Lord permits divorce only for “porneia.” This Greek word generally means unlawful sexual intercourse due to either blood relations (also called incest) or nonsacramental unions. The Lord does not permit divorce for “moicheia” (adultery). It is also important to note that in these cases, a marriage never existed in the first place, so the Lord is not actually permitting divorce, but a dissolution of the unlawful union.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/divorce_remarriage.html
(((((Hugs)))))
(((hugs back)))
:)
True, those were the numbers that came up on the poll.
Here we go again.
Fatima, you likely couldn't name a single Church where I've attended Mass at any time in my entire life, much less what my current worship habits are. I haven't corresponded with you in at least 7 years and I haven't posted anything in the FR religion forum in that same period of time - for obvious reasons as per this thread. But don't let that stop you from spreading falsehoods.
It wouldn't matter if I was a practicing Moonie or Krishna, canon and doctrine are what they are. There is no such thing as a "divorce" from the sacrament of marriage. PERIOD. I don't know what debate you're trying to have, because there isn't one.
For the purposes of this conversation nobody, including me, is discussing whether or not Christ "mentions" a civil divorce document, so I'm not sure what your point is. The passage from Matthew you're referring reinforces the argument many of us are making.
Let me re-post what I wrote, so those like yourself can re-read it SLOWWWWWWWWWLY and with some degree of comprehension. I even bolded the important parts, just for you. Take all the time you need.
No, there is no such thing as divorce if the marriage was sacramental. Civil and "natural" marriages are viewed differently.
Protestants will (or should) understand this as well as Catholics, as Christ is extremely direct and clear on the matter in scripture. Divorcing from the sacrament simply is impossible; a man-created concept that doesn't exist and cannot ever happen under any circumstances whatsoever.
I can you post it one your website which everyone can read FRiend.Are you not in union with the Roman Catholic Church now.?
Sometimes you don't articulate yourself very well, so I'm not sure what you're trying to communicate regarding Angelqueen.org. I will say that I consider it one of the finest accomplishments of my often wayward and sinful life.
You want to post there? Or post something from there here? Or post links? I have no idea what you're trying to communicate, but be my guest at... whatever.
You tell people not to answer you.Like you are all knowing.You are not in union with the church .Also anyone can answer you because this is not your website it is Jim Robinson (jimrob@psnw.com), a private citizen of Fresno California who runs it. You left the religious forum to form your own.Not in union with the Catholic Church.
Are you in union with the Roman Catholic Church.I think I asked that 3 times
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