Posted on 09/01/2015 3:53:50 AM PDT by NYer
Huge news. This was under embargo till noon, Rome time, which must be honored. [UPDATE: The Bollettino is now available HERE]
The Year of Mercy begins 8 December 2015 until 20 November 2016.
It is about to be announced that the Holy Father has sent a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization about the upcoming Extraordinary Year of Mercy.
In this letter the Pope says that he is granting to all priests the faculty to absolve from the sin of abortion. He writes: “I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.” Interesting way to word it.
He also says that the faithful may go to … well… read it yourself. Here is a screenshot from the doc:
This is HUGE news.
Let’s examine this.
First, note the language. This letter says that he hopes that the SSPX will be reconciled. He says that he hears good things about the priests of the SSPX. But he says that the faithful may approach the priests of the SSPX for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance) and that they shall validly and licitly receive absolution. He doesn’t say that he is granting the priests the faculty to receive sacramental confessions. He places the emphasis on the faithful. In effect, the priests are being given the faculty to hear confessions, but there is a different emphasis. I have the sense that it is the need of the faithful who otherwise might not go to a non-SSPX priest that the Holy Father is stressing. Think about the case of a person who is dying and there is, say, an ex-priest -a guy who was “laicized” because he committed certain crimes, present, the Church’s laws says that in the circumstances of the person’s danger of death any validly ordained priest automatically has the faculty validly to absolve. The need of the dying person is of such overwhelming importance that the law itself grants the ex-priest (or suspended priest, etc.) the faculty. The stress is on the need of the dying person, not on the priest. I think this is an analogous situation.
Along with this, the fact of Pope Francis’ move, together with the wording, confirms what I have been saying all along about the priests of the SSPX: they do not and have not had the faculty validly to absolve sins! The fact that this is being granted for the Year of Mercy bears out what I have been saying.
That said, if the Holy Father is willing to go this far with the priests of the SSPX, is it hard to imagine that this merciful concession might not be extended beyond the Year of Mercy? I would like to think so!
Next, this concession also underscores a point I have been making all along. If only Nixon could go to China, perhaps Pope Francis is the Pope who will reconcile the SSPX!
Additionally, this could irritate some bishops in, say, France… Germany…. And even though this may not be well received in certain circles, the Pope is doing it anyway.
Moreover, earlier in his pontificate, this Pope was pretty hard on priests. He seemed to be bashing them on a daily basis. This move to grant all priests in the world the faculty to lift the censure which results from procuring an abortion is a sign of his confidence in priests… for a change.
I take heart from this bold move – which makes so much sense (to me at least) – in favor of the access the faithful will have to sacrament of penance. I hope that it will also spark a wider discussion on the positive things that will come from the reconciliation of the SSPX. I hope that discussion takes place even among the SSPXers themselves.
May all the followers of the SSPX , please God, look at this move with joy and with gratitude for the concern the Pope is showing to them.
And… to everyone… GO TO CONFESSION!
But… remember, the Year of Mercy hasn’t started yet and the SSPX does not yet have their faculty. GO TO CONFESSION with priest with faculties!
UPDATE 1020 UTC:
The Fishwrap has posted on this now. They get it wrong, of course. They openly call the SSPXers “schismatic”.
...at the hour of your death.
That CAN happen; I've heard...
As regards the oft-quoted Mt. 16:18
• Augustine, sermon:
"Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter's confession. What is Peter's confession? 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' There's the rock for you, there's the foundation, there's where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer. — John Rotelle, O.S.A., Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine , © 1993 New City Press, Sermons, Vol III/6, Sermon 229P.1, p. 327
Upon this rock, said the Lord, I will build my Church. Upon this confession, upon this that you said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not conquer her (Mt. 16:18). — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 236A.3, p. 48.
• Augustine, sermon:
For petra (rock) is not derived from Peter, but Peter from petra; just as Christ is not called so from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. For on this very account the Lord said, 'On this rock will I build my Church,' because Peter had said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' On this rock, therefore, He said, which thou hast confessed, I will build my Church. For the Rock (Petra) was Christ; and on this foundation was Peter himself built. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. The Church, therefore, which is founded in Christ received from Him the keys of the kingdom of heaven in the person of Peter, that is to say, the power of binding and loosing sins. For what the Church is essentially in Christ, such representatively is Peter in the rock (petra); and in this representation Christ is to be understood as the Rock, Peter as the Church. — Augustine Tractate CXXIV; Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume VII Tractate CXXIV (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf107.iii.cxxv.html)
• Augustine, sermon:
And Peter, one speaking for the rest of them, one for all, said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:15-16)...And I tell you: you are Peter; because I am the rock, you are Rocky, Peter-I mean, rock doesn't come from Rocky, but Rocky from rock, just as Christ doesn't come from Christian, but Christian from Christ; and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:17-18); not upon Peter, or Rocky, which is what you are, but upon the rock which you have confessed. I will build my Church though; I will build you, because in this answer of yours you represent the Church. — John Rotelle, O.S.A. Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1993), Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 270.2, p. 289
• Augustine, sermon:
Peter had already said to him, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' He had already heard, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not conquer her' (Mt 16:16-18)...Christ himself was the rock, while Peter, Rocky, was only named from the rock. That's why the rock rose again, to make Peter solid and strong; because Peter would have perished, if the rock hadn't lived. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City, 1993) Sermons, Volume III/7, Sermon 244.1, p. 95
• Augustine, sermon:
...because on this rock, he said, I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not overcome it (Mt. 16:18). Now the rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Hold on to these texts, love these texts, repeat them in a fraternal and peaceful manner. — John Rotelle, Ed., The Works of Saint Augustine (New Rochelle: New City Press, 1995), Sermons, Volume III/10, Sermon 358.5, p. 193
• Augustine, Psalm LXI:
Let us call to mind the Gospel: 'Upon this Rock I will build My Church.' Therefore She crieth from the ends of the earth, whom He hath willed to build upon a Rock. But in order that the Church might be builded upon the Rock, who was made the Rock? Hear Paul saying: 'But the Rock was Christ.' On Him therefore builded we have been. — Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), Volume VIII, Saint Augustin, Exposition on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXI.3, p. 249. (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf108.ii.LXI.html)
• Augustine, in “Retractions,”
In a passage in this book, I said about the Apostle Peter: 'On him as on a rock the Church was built.'...But I know that very frequently at a later time, I so explained what the Lord said: 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,' that it be understood as built upon Him whom Peter confessed saying: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and so Peter, called after this rock, represented the person of the Church which is built upon this rock, and has received 'the keys of the kingdom of heaven.' For, 'Thou art Peter' and not 'Thou art the rock' was said to him. But 'the rock was Christ,' in confessing whom, as also the whole Church confesses, Simon was called Peter. But let the reader decide which of these two opinions is the more probable. — The Fathers of the Church (Washington D.C., Catholic University, 1968), Saint Augustine, The Retractations Chapter 20.1:.
Paul disagrees with roman catholicism as he notes all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And please, no appeal to Luke 1:28 as that has been shown to NOT show Mary was sinless. Catholic sources themselves admit there is no direct proof from scripture for this false claim by catholics.
Why did Paul write to correct the Galatians?
Huh?
WAIT!
I thought that WAFER was His body??!!??
Just quit responding to this one, and you'll NOT have to see what them DAMNED Prots are posting!
Time for the morning's ad hominem posting.
Cannot catholicism withstand scrutiny?
James 2:25 - “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”
Thomas Oden in his book The Good Works Reader talks about this on page 350. He has quotes from early Church fathers who put it concisely much like Grateful2God did.
“Time for the morning’s ad hominem posting.”
Well, maybe if you knew about James 2:25 there would be so much evidence that what I said is correct.
Which came first with Rahab? Her belief in God or her helping the messengers?
Quote-The Jews didn’t get enough ‘holidays’ from GOD to begin with; so the Only True Church had to create some more.
Makes perfect sense to me.
Elsie, if people studied His Calendar and His Word, the Holy Days He taught Israel ARE His Son’s Holy Days.
His birth, circumcision, dedication/presentation in the temple, baptism, death, burial, resurrection, receiving of the Holy Spirit-
All landed on either New Moon Days,Sabbaths or Feasts.
And that lesson would reveal how Rome (just like Daniel 7 predicts) would change times and laws..
And how frankly, they have created another Jesus- a Roman jesus with a Roman birthday (December 25), a Roman death day (Good Friday) and a Roman resurrection Day (Easter Sunday)
All according to Rome’s catechism and Rome’s calendar, Not according to His Word (why does Passover land on different days other than Friday? Good question that His Word explains- and Passover holds far more spiritual significance when we learn His Calendar)
Read ezekiel 46 and ask Him one question?- why does He separate New Moon Days from the Sabbath and the 6 Work Days?
That count doesn’t equal 7. It equals 8.
And that little riddle will unlock the counterfeit calendar that the world of religion, govt and business uses..
(Named after a Roman Pope- Pope gregory-)
Prophetic..
That little understanding of His Calendar (which is in Scripture) coupled with His Sky, can unlock real genuine truth that would make Rome’s teachings and practices (and most of her daughters) fall apart..
You can clump Judaism and Islam in the mix too. They don’t get it right either. Thanks to Rome..
What would happen to a Christian if His Birthday was just 18 Days ago, according to His Calendar?
What would december 25 become?
Fake. Substitute. False. How would business survive without the black Friday?
As long as Rome controls the calendar, this world is running a counterfeit system.
But only way to see it- is to come out of it. Not easy if one needs Rome to tell them what day it is..
That is why I sound like a nut calling today His 3rd Day, the 18th Day of His 6th month.
And the rest of the English world names it after some false god woden.
Never been happier to be nutty.
It really makes all the difference in the world.
Some will never see. He has been gracious and merciful to allow me to see what I never saw under Rome. And I have never been in Rome’s church. But I was in one of Rome’s daughters- Presbyterian..and under Rome’s calendar all my days.. We learn it as children.
And He led me out.. And exposed the world as counterfeit.
Now everything makes more sense. And the Catholic vs Protestant debates are all founded on the false premise that Rome starts with Truth.
They do not..they have counterfeited Truth. And one only needs His Word and an understanding of His Creation to prove all things. Both He is willing to provide.
Rome and all her Feasts and her calendar are designed to hide His New Moons, His Sabbaths (not always Saturday or Sunday) and His Feasts (Jews have made rules that postpone them if they clash with their Pope appointed Saturnsday Sabbath)
Hiding His appointed times He taught Israel. That pointed back to their journey and yet pointed forward to His Son’s journey and to the Kingdom. Appointed times He gave for worship.all point to Him...
The Word made flesh..
Judaism and Christianity can’t see or tell that story yet. Thanks to Rome.
Babel rules now . but in each believer’s life, it doesn’t have to.. Revelation 13 happens this very day spiritually and billions don’t see it.
Roman Catholics are as deceived as Presbyterians as deceived as any protestants (even people who go to church on Saturdays).. My faith was in Rome’s Jesus and Rome’s calendar..
I met Him there, but He didn’t let me stay there..
And I now know why..
My prayer is more have their eyes opened. A humbling experience.
HalleluYah!
Ahhh, you digress! What did Paul mean? What did he feel was lacking in the sufferings of Christ- for His Church or anyone else? Isn’t it the contention that Jesus’ suffering was enough?
As a reminder forum rules do not allow profanity.
If you are catholic.......have you committed a mortal sin in your prejorative term against Elsie and myself?
I harbor no ill will to you and forgive you for your commentary against me. I cannot speak on Elsie's behalf.
It ain't no trip to Disneyland! 🎠🎡🎢🐭
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