Posted on 02/11/2005 1:08:52 PM PST by B Knotts
Lay sermons permitted, Vatican tells Swiss bishops. Proposals by Swiss bishops to allow lay theologians to give sermons and Protestants to receive Communion have met with the approval of the Curia in Rome, Bishop Amédée Grab, president of the Swiss bishops' conference, said this week.
The Swiss church is having to cope with a shortage of priests and in an effort to deal with the crisis its bishops' conference has come up with controversial plans to make greater use of the laity serving as pastoral assistants. The Swiss bishops' conference has now declared that the assistants (who hold university degrees in theology) are to be allowed to preach during Mass and baptise whenever a priest was not available. The bishops, who announced to journalists following their return from their ad limina visit to Rome that they have secured Curial backing for their plans, have also secured the necessary permission for the Protestant partner in a mixed marriage to receive the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. The general secretary of the Swiss bishops' conference, Agnell Rickenmann, said that the two declarations were partly a response to the shortage of priests in Switzerland, but also reflected the Swiss Church's "independence". He said: "In Switzerland we have a 30-year tradition of theologically trained lay people active in the Church."
...
The head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, had told the Swiss bishops that in emergency cases lay theologians could hold a "brief sermon-like discourse" or a meditation based on the Mass for the day but that this should not be allowed to become the "general norm".
(Excerpt) Read more at thetablet.co.uk ...
I don't believe this!
Bogus story...doesn't google.
Communion in the hand, altar girls, and now this...
The far more damaging action is the apparent, or perhaps I should say "alleged" approval by Rome of Open Communion. Of course, its Rome's Church and Rome can and will do what it wants, but if there was ever any hope or desire for a union with Orthodoxy in the near future, this will kill it.
This story is bogus! Not true. Link doesn't work. Nothing in it 'Googles'
It's not bogus. Go to the link. You may have to register.
That said, I do wonder if we are getting the whole story on this. I'd like to hear what Cdl. Ratzinger has to say.
Looks like several others have the same question.
Accusations that the declarations were against canon law and contradicted last year's Vatican edict that only priests could give sermons, were quick to follow. Pro Ecclesia, a conservative Catholic group, said it looked very much as if, shortly before setting out for Rome, the Swiss bishops were determined to "present the Vatican with a fait accompli". It was also reported that Austrian and German bishops had berated the Swiss bishops at the annual liturgical conference (for bishops in German-speaking countries, including South Tyrol and Luxembourg) in Augsburg at the end of January for "pressing ahead of the world Church" on such matters.
Nothing 'googles' in your story....try it!
This was only reported today, so Google probably hasn't pickted it up yet. And it's not "my" story. I saw it mentioned on Amy Welborn's blog (in the comments), and took a look.
Still not buying it.
The other thing is: this could be another Abp. Flynn situation. If you know what I mean...
Explain?
Why not follow the link and register instead of sticking your foot in your mouth.
Have you?
That's fine with me...we report; you decide. :-)
I don't want this to be true any more than anyone else, but I won't just shut my eyes to it when I see it.
Better to sound the alarm right away, IMO.
Abp. Flynn came back from his ad limina and announced that Cdl. Arinze had not given him any indication that there needed to be a "single policy" on giving Holy Communion to Rainbow Sashers.
Cdl. Arinze later indicated that he had not said anything resembling that.
You on the other hand I don't know from a hole in the wall.
Call you local C.C.
I did. Said this stuff in the story is not true.
Not on any Catholic site even the Vatican site.
Thanks for the support! :-)
Honestly, I wasn't expecting that particular reaction.
I'm generally pretty tame around here.
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