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”.
Anyone know the number of a good exterminator?
I seem to have bats in the belfry.
“And this qualifies as civil discussion how??”
How is it uncivil? Did I mention anyone by name? Did I say anything that is untrue? No.
“Everything I post I document....and in many cases it is pulled from catholic sources and uses recognized documentation formats unlike some users.”
Sadly, we are sometimes not allowed to document all truths here in the forum. I have one or two examples of what I mentioned on my profile page.
“Again if catholics don’t like the scrutiny.....hide behind the caucus protection.”
There is no scrutiny. There is just anti-Catholicism coming from the anti-Catholics. If you find anything here “uncivil” you can always “hide” in Protestant threads.
Yes.
“I admit defeat...”
Of course you do.
“Anyone know the number of a good exterminator?”
.45 caliber?
Good thing Paul didn't have the mindset of some catholics on FR.
Lots of assertions made below that suggest uncivility.
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.
As always vlad, it's been interesting.
“Any scrutiny or questions is anti-catholic in your worldview I see.”
Again, there was no scrutiny.
“Good thing Paul didn’t have the mindset of some catholics on FR.”
St. Paul would have shaken the dust from his sandals in regard to FR anti-Catholics a long time ago.
“Lots of assertions made below that suggest uncivility.”
Nothing uncivil. All of it was also true.
As I said, always interesting.
“As I said, always interesting.”
And as I said: Anti-Catholic.
I’ll ask again....what did roman catholic women do who’d had an abortion and sought forgiveness prior to this if the priest couldn’t “forgive” their sin?
As a Catholic, my opinion of where he is now is of little consequence, as it is God's decision, not mine.
As to his opinions on the OT and selected parts of the NT as not being quite doctrinal, well, it's his own invention: guess he can do as he pleased- and he did.
Funny how Catholics are criticized for reading into the Scripture what is not only explicit, but implicit as well, while Luther is deemed as some kind of hero for stressing 1 of 4 Gospels as doctrinal, and that St. Paul is so heavily emphasized- except, of course for the Letter to the Hebrews... And BTW, I never said Luther was good.
PS, Is Luther being precluded from the discussion, as were the verses from Luke? Limited Bible from Bible Christians, by the mentor who encouraged only the books which coincided with his own ideas? There is no doctrine to be heard in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke?
Abortion was considered a reserved sin: one so severe that the penitent needed, with the help of her confessor, to meet with the local bishop to decide upon the issue of absolution in each individual case.
It's sad that it takes a caucus for us to be able to share our Faith among ourselves and (what a concept!) to actually be able to discuss the article posted.
Perhaps y'all ought to stick to your "sources" , instead of antagonizing the rest of us. If you read your sources, then you'll know the answers.
So it is even beyond a “mortal” sin?
I’m not sure what it was, Jeff, but I’m with you on the caucus thing!
Ah, yes. Works. Yet another reason why Luther didn't like it. In fact, the main reason.
Look it up, FRiend: you said you have the resources.
the term "help of her confessor" means that the confessor arranged the meeting and if needed helped to explain the situation to the Bishop. They DID NOT under any circumstance enter the confessional with the penitent.
Also depending on the circumstances in many cases the priest would also speak to the father of the child to see about getting him back into full communion with the church. Depending on if he had prior knowledge of the child and the abortion.
I have noticed that there has been a radical increase in the number of threads reserved for protestant/ evangelical... etc.
Does this mean that issues can't bear up to Catholic scrutiny? That is the logical extension of your proposition.
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