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”.
You forgot the sarc tag, my friend. Our Church seems to make no sense to you at all- but we love ya anyway!
🚸 💒 👫👪 👫👪 💞
Please supply a link when posting quotes in the Religion Forum.
Thank you.
Whatever it was that was said, be it venial or mortal, if it was a sin it is between his Confessor in persona Christi, himself, and those to which an apology is deserved.
As to this discussion, it, per usual, has become far from civil. Would that it had been a caucus, that we may share our Faith with other practicing Catholics and with invited commenters, who politely add to the discussion, and ask pertinent, respectful questions.
Even then, our caucuses become infringed upon by non-qualified FReepers, do they not?
God bless you all!
Grateful
She hasn't"missed"you, Elsie! She loves you, and when God calls you home, you'll see her! She is the mother of He Who is merciful-who is Mercy Itself; it is our sin from Adam that could only be removed by her Son's Incarnation, Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection. Our sins killed her Son. Would we not also need forgiveness for such an atrocity as the created torturing and murdering its Creator?
It's true, though you cry out from the house tops that you don't believe. You will someday...
It has withstood heresy, persecution, false witness and all other evils, from its inception to this very day. We're still here- much to the chagrin of our detractors throughout the world, and to subversives from within.
While 2.1 billion people cannot always agree, we do not have thousands of denominations, and over-the-phone certification as a tax-exempt "Reverend". Who scrutinizes them? Who scrutinizes the self-interpreters who remain on their own and thus fly under the radar? As a non Catholic, perhaps those are the questions that should be asked...
G-d ♡ bless you!
Grateful ✟ ✡
AW, c’mon, Elsie! You just love a good rhubarb- like ‘Brenner and Billy Martin!
How do you define “uncivil”?
Seems like “Rome”’is responsible for a lot of what ills this world.
Is Rome also responsible for Katrina? For the national debt? For homelessness? I thought they were all Bush’s fault.
It seems Catholics want to be able to post on this forum with no questioning of their beliefs
That's not gonna happen for roman catholicism anymore than it would for Islam, Mormonism, Methodists, Baptists, PCUSA, etc.
on another thread a prominent person was admitted to be on the cheating website. He is being heavily criticized.
Can rcc not take the heat??
How about adding the following to your collection of Augustine quotes:
” . . . there are many other things which most justly keep me in her (the Catholic Church’s) bosom . . . The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep, down to the present episcopate. (Against the Epistle of Manchaeus Called Fundamental [Contra Epistolam Manichaei Quam Vacant Fundamenti.] http://www.gnosis.org/library/contfe.htm
Making the rules now? Or is it because:
" Luther ascribed to several books of the New Testament different degrees of doctrinal value: "St. John's Gospel and his first Epistle, St. Paul's Epistles, especially those to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and St. Peter's Epistle-these are the books which show to thee Christ, and teach everything that is necessary and blessed for thee to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book of doctrine. Therefore, St. James' Epistle is a perfect straw-epistle compared with them, for it has in it nothing of an evangelic kind." Thus Luther was comparing (in his opinion) doctrinal value, not canonical validity. " Luther did not ascribe the same doctrinal value to the other Gospels?
So disregard Luke's account of the Incarnation of Jesus. I cannot choose for you- nor you for me!
G-d ♡ bless you!
Grateful ✟ ✡
G-d ♡ bless you!
Grateful ✟ ✡
How is it that they feel the necessity to try and do so?
Catholic apologists admit you cannot look to Luke 1:28 and find the IC there....or anywhere in Scripture. That’s why I said no appeal to Luke.
I like these open threads as I learn from them. They make you do your homework which some in these threads don't want to do.
I prefer the discussion to be akin to what Paul did. He went to the public forum with his case for Christ.
Hey, how about instituting an Interdenominational Feud Caucus category to which we can confine these theological cat fights?
“If, as you say, catholicism has withstood all you noted, how is it that a small number of non-catholics seem to drive yall up the wall so much?”
Well, most normal people are bothered by lying, misrepresentations, half-truths, distortions, stupidity, foolishness, delusions bordering on mental illness, and lack of education - you know, all those traits that anti-Catholics have in spades.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.