Turns out the bishops don't give a crap.
A German bishop has said that the country’s episcopal conference will move forward with plans to allow Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, despite clear disapproval from the Vatican.
Bishop Gebhard Fürst of Stuttgart told a lay group, the Central Committee of German Catholics, that the German bishops have already drafted new guidelines for the reception of Communion by divorced/remarried Catholics, and hope to vote their approval to those new rules in March 2014. Bishop Fürst said that the German hierarchy is responding to demands from the faithful. “Expectations are great, and impatience and anger are greater still,” he said.
Demands from the faithful? So that's where we get our morality from now? What the "faithful" demand?
First, if they were faithful, they wouldn't be making such a demand.
Second, this is a perfect example of how authority has been completely relinquished by the folks who are supposed to be the shepherds in favor of the applause of man.
Not that I'm expecting formal degradation for these guys, but something is going to have to be done. The above report neglects Cardinal Marx's involvement that we mentioned previously, which has the potential to complicate things even further. Heretics and schismatics have often gotten by through patronage by powerful members of the Curia. Cardinal Marx is now about as high as one can get. Higher than +Mueller? We'll see.
I sincerely hope that this isn't a replay of Wittenberg, with Germany leading the way into schism, but it seems to be heading in that direction. Everyone please pray for the intercession of St. Boniface in stamping out this weed that has grown up in the German Church.
PS:
The pic is of St. Boniface cutting down the pagans' sacred tree.
Have you seen http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/? I think it came out after you posted, Archbishop Baldiserri has confirmed that that the issue of communion for the divorced and remarried is going to be on the agenda for discussion "without taboos" at the synod.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, everybody can put off any "schism" until after teh Extraordinary and Ordinary Synods. In the meantime, I think Archbishop Mueller is doing his job of enforcing current policy, and Cardinal Marx is going his job of making sure possibe reforms get discussed.
Here is the full link to the story:
ReplyDeletehttp://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/-6990255d2d/
I hadn't seen it and appreciate your mentioning it here. I have skepticism, though. One of the huge problems in Orthodoxy is their decision to ignore the words of Christ in favor of an imagined economia.
The "three strikes and you're out" rule has never made sense to me. It's going to be difficult to justify a change in practice here in light of what has already been firmly established.
As far as the +Marx/+Mueller discussion, I agree that +Mueller is doing his job. I think Cardinal Marx's decision to speak publicly on the matter contrary to what the guy doing his job has said is an invitation to scandal.