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”.
Priests need to be granted “faculties” in a particular diocese by the bishop OF THAT DIOCESE to be able to hear confessions and grant absolutions. The SSPX have no dioceses. They are essentially schismatic and extra territorial and thus cannot validly hear confessions (or perform valid marriages by the way). Now, at least for the Year of Mercy, they will be able to say they can.
“I would rather go to Christ for confession and absolution. He is the only One that can absolve.”
Christ gave that authority to His bishops (John 20:19-23). All the ancient churches agree on this. Even some early Protestants - such as Lutherans - did so too.
Honestly, the following - POPE: PRIESTS IN HOLY YEAR CAN ABSOLVE ‘SIN OF ABORTION’ - seems like bigger news to me.
Interesting what else can turn up during confession time, isn't it?
Interesting too, what specialized, custom tailored rules you've got there.
I think I've seen them around, some place before.
Cue up the damage-control specialized pleadings to strictly limit that (the italicized, above) to a favored group in 1, 2, 3...
Forget it. I'm not interested in hearing all the excuses, again.
But what's with this concept of a priest doing the absolving?
Oh, wait. We've seen that one before too.
Supposedly, at least when it's pointed out that none have the authority to absolve others of their sins, and that be acknowledged that this comes only from the Lord ---that is not always confessed to, but when it is --- the apologetic turns towards putting things as although it is the Lord who does the forgiving (or not does not, depending upon circumstance, it could be assumed) and that be the forgiveness which ultimately matters, a Catholic "priest" is more merely validating, confirming what which has already effectively transpired, providing reassurance to the pentinent that his own efforts have been in good faith, and sufficient to enable the pentinent to obtain grace, and that such has been granted to him.
RICO-tico-ticky-tacky, however one may turn it, what a business opportunity. It has potential.
Hold on a second ---
Too much of that sort of business was what drove Martin Luther to do as he did -- AND PROTEST.
Once he investigated yet further, more and more began coming to light, Scripture leading the way.
Well now (I mean back then, actually) we can't be having any of that objecting to papal 'authority' systematics contrariness.
That simply won't do. So kick Luther out, tell the world he's like a devil. Agree with that, or go to hell with him and others, your tails tied together like sons of Jews who are descended from monkeys and pigs.
But when others defy more modern popes --- my, my, my, how things have changed.
Dang that Vatican II! Modernist heresy!!! The SSPX'ers were right! They didn't do anything wrong when the rejected papal authority before they said they didn't while still rejecting the parts (and popes?) they didn't like.
But they are learning how to hold their mouths better, so there's always that...
Attempting to go through Mary for this is the roman catholic tradition.
I think what Mom MD was saying was that with the Evangelicals, that started to change and it was go direct to God.
Not once did I mention Mary, This is about God’s mercy.
We don’t confess to man. We confess to God through a priest who by ordination not through virtue acts in persona Christi It’s following the gospel. Read it if you want to be judge mental.
Catholics can confess without a priest but Jesus said it was better for us to do it this way so we do whatever He tells us as His mother instructed at Cana
People not in the Catholic Church by baptism and the sacrament do whatever it is they do. It doesn’t concern us. We don’t criticize you. We just expect them to quit criticizing us. We’re not hurting you
AMEN! Second it!
Read the original post. The pope did.
That is what the year of mercy is about. The mercy of Christ.
The authority comes from the Lord. John 20_21-23.
The Word was made flesh through Mary.
Just for the record, whoever told you this was wrong. The priest has the power to forgive sins. Power given to him by God (Jesus, so it's ultimately from Him yes) but it's the priest who does the forgiving directly, again using the power God gave him. "Whoever's sin YOU forgive, it will be forgiven...", as the oft quoted verse says.
This power is contingent upon the priests' obedience to the Church, because while it comes from God ultimately, it is transmitted via the Church and Her laying on of hands, thus subject to the rule of the Church. ("Whatever you bind on earth has already been bound in heaven" As the relevant passage actually says in the Greek, just a bit clumsy in English) hence the reason for the news in the OP, etc.
Of course there are different opinions of what these verses mean (hence all the back and forth between Catholics and non.). I'm not interested in that dance today (as I don't recognize the authority of any given man to interpret Scripture.).
Again, the above is just for the record.
Not what the pope was saying. He was appealing to the mother of mercy....mary.
From Scripture.
Who can forgive but God alone?
It's a rhetorical question, really, because the answer is *No one*.
It's against GOD that we sin and HE is the only one to whom we must go to ask forgiveness and HE is the only one who can grant it.
It is against God and others when we sin.
But remember she is the mother of the Great Divine Mercy Himself, Jesus.
The formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: The Father of mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
And how are sins forgiven? Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19
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