Pope Francis says most marriages today are ‘invalid’. This is a disaster for the Catholic Church

The Spectator ^ | June 17, 2016 | Damian Thompson

[ebb tide]

Pope Francis, spiritual leader of a billion people, has just informed them that ‘the great majority’ of sacramental marriages are invalid because couples don’t go into them with the right intentions. He was speaking at a press conference in Rome. Here’s the context, from the Catholic News Agency (my emphases):

‘I heard a bishop say some months ago that he met a boy that had finished his university studies, and said “I want to become a priest, but only for 10 years”. It’s the culture of the provisional. And this happens everywhere, also in priestly life, in religious life,’ he said.

‘It’s provisional, and because of this the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null. Because they say “yes, for the rest of my life!” but they don’t know what they are saying. Because they have a different culture. They say it, they have good will, but they don’t know.’

Uh? You can read the full report here but you won’t be much the wiser. The Pope, thinking aloud in the manner of some maverick parish priest after a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, has just told millions of his flock that they are not really married.

Did he mean to say that? What does he really think? What authority do his words carry?

And why should Catholics even have to ask these questions? Francis’s off-the-cuff ramblings on matters of extreme pastoral sensitivity are wreaking havoc in the Catholic Church, as I’ve written here.

Ross Douthat of the New York Times has just tweeted this response:

Screen Shot 2016-06-16 at 23.54.41

I suspect that even the Pope’s most liberal admirers will have difficulty extricating him from this mess.

[Elsie]

The catholic position elevates Mary to something not suggested by the text.

HERETIC PROT!!!

Oh... Wait!!

The way it's written:

 

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

 

The way Rome teaches it:

 

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a....

 

Co-Redemptrix, 
Ark of the Covenant,
Cause of Our Joy,

Cause of our Salvation ,
Comfort of the Afflicted,
Destroyer of Heresy,
Ever-virgin ,
Favoured Daughter of the Father,
Gate of Heaven,
God-bearer,
Health of the Sick,
Help of Christians,
Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of Virgins,
House of Gold,
Joy of the Just,
Majesty,
Mirror of Justice,
Morning Star,
Most Holy,
Mother Admirable,
Mother Inviolate,
Mother Most Amiable,
Mother Most Chaste,
Mother Most Pure,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of Divine Grace,
Mother of God,
Mother of Good Counsel,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of Orphans,
Mother of Our Creator,
Mother of Our Redeemer,
Mother of Sorrows,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of the Poor,
Mother of the Word,
Mother Thrice Admirable,
Mother Undefiled,
Mystical Rose,
Nova Eva (the New Eve),
Our Lady of Compassion,
Our Lady of Confidence,
Our Lady of Victory,
Our Lady, Star of the Sea,
Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
Queen Assumed Into Heaven,
Queen Conceived Without Original Sin,
Queen of All Saints,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Families,
Queen of Heaven,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Peace,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,
Queen of Virgins,
Ravisher of Hearts,
Refuge of Sinners,
Seat of Wisdom,
She Who Shows the Way,
Singular Vessel of Devotion,
Spiritual Vessel,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Tabernacle of the Lord,
Temple of the Most Holy Trinity,
Throne of Wisdom,
Tower of David,
Tower of Ivory,
Treasure House of God's Graces,
Untier of Knots,
Vessel of Honor,
Virgin God-bearer,
Virgin Most Faithful,
Virgin Most Merciful,
Virgin Most Powerful,
Virgin Most Prudent,
Virgin Most Renowned,
Virgin Most Venerable       

 

 

   born under the law, ⁵ to HELP redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship; sooner or later; and not spend TOO much time in Purgatory.

 

 

 

[Elsie]

Thanks for making my point.

What point; for I fail to see one.

Perhaps I overlooked it in my days away from FR.

Could you restate it for me and any lurkers who could have possibly missed it?

Thank You.

[Elsie]

New and American. Thanks for making my point.

HMMMmmm...

New American Bible Revised Edition

 

 

 

http://www.catholic.com/tracts/bible-translations-guide

 

 

 

[Elsie]

Joseph was considering DIVORCING her. You don't divorce someone who you are not married to.

Also; you don't divorce someone with whom...

...you make this crazy (and invisible) vow of CELIBACY!!

[Elsie]

There's a wild accusation flung out hoping something will stick.

Ya think?

Maybe...

[Elsie]

...Council of Ephesus will show you why a clarification like "Mother of God" was needed...

Sorry Holy Ghost; but your words are just not adequate to portray the TRUTH of the matter.

Not to worry: Rome has yer b ack!

[Elsie]

Honestly, if the situation in the world is being set up for the end times, and I don’t know where you stand on that, then even if Trump is in office, we’re still in deep trouble.

Didn't you people learn ANYTHING

from the smoke of SODOM?

-- GOD

 

[Elsie]

That's hysterical coming from someone who quotes the early church fathers.

Quotes but ignores!!!

What a sad example of Catholicism today!

[Elsie]

"The-woman-who-links-God-to-the-human-race-through-the-Incarnation-which-took-place-via-her-motherhood."

Can I slip this into my list of Mary TITLES?

[Elsie]

Is your spouse having doubts now?

If yours is NOT; better check for a pulse!

[Elsie]

What more can I say?

That you've finally realized you're an _____.

[Elsie]

And after a suitable couple of seconds can you permit yourself to add, "And HE's God"?

You're finally bringing Rome's position into the light.

[Elsie]

You're finally bringing Rome's position into the light.

Now; after a few more seconds; you'll realize that adding anything is QUITE unnecessary; for my LORD should have provided all the info needed.

[MHGinTN]

Hard to believe your questioning Elsie's 'strawman' reference, since you use it so 'expectantly':

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html

[Elsie]

The term “personal Savior” is NOT found in Scripture either.

But we Prots don't repeat it a BILLION times a day or more around the world.

We don't get our panties in a wad and try to hold onto the phrase when it is pointed out.

Well; there may be some KJV-only folks that do.

The crosses we Prots have to bear...

[Elsie]

So you're okay with having a stupid politically correct moron representing you?

I gotta personal representative!

COOL!

How much do I pay him??

[Elsie]

I’m sure this means something: to someone.

[ealgeone]

Makes the former pigeon chess player look pretty smart don’t he?

[Elsie]

I don’t understand the bit about straw.

Yet you DO understand enough to type:

God is all-powerful, but that doesn’t accommodate some middle-schoolers smart-aleck demand that He be able to make a square circle, or create a rock too heavy for Him to lift. These are a special kind of impossible: they are logical absurdities.

Akin to that is the kind of arbitrary and capricious power which Islamic philosophers attribute to Allah. They say that the essence of his being is sheer will, and therefore there are no limits on what he can will, or do. Islam teaches that God (Allah) may choose goodness or love or truth, but that is not part of his essence. He could just as well choose evil, hatred and lies.

This differs radically from the True God. We know that the True God doesn’t just choose to love: God IS Love. He cannot act against love, not because it is beyond His power, but because it is a logical contradiction: if He acted against love, He would not be God.

Long story short, God does not commit adultery. If he did we’d know it wasn’t God.

Amazing!

[Elsie]

I do think the book we produced is Good.

Come on. 'Fess up!

It's good; but not THAT good.