(Hamburg), the German weekly Die Zeit, which has little appreciation for Catholicity but excels as a Journal for food and interior decorating, with its concern for gender-correct world order, published in its exclusive edition excerpts from the speech by Cardinal Walter Kasper on the Thursday of the week just before the College of Cardinals gathered on the topic of remarried divorcees (see separate report Cardinal Kasper to Remarried Divorcees: "New Ways" Work Like The Council - Pope Francis: "Thank you Thank you." ). The Cardinal knows just where to find influential allies and to whom he has to pay tribute.
Actually, the Cardinal should talk about family, because he was mentioned at the Consistory and he said it should also be discussed at the Synod of Bishops in the fall. However, in reality, everything turned exclusively to one aspect of the overall question about sacrament of marriage, and then only to remarried divorcees.
Cardinal Kasper's exclusive: "Yes, but ..."
The 81 year old Cardinal urged the retention of Catholic doctrine, but for a change in Catholic practice and thus, yet again, change of doctrine. A dialectical form of wanting to pull a fast one. Thus Kasper's speech was a big "Yes, but ...".
"The German cardinal is quoted as saying:" Mercy is not a cheap grace that dispenses of repentance. But the sacraments are not a reward for good behavior and for an elite, which excludes those most in need of the sacraments. "
"If a divorced re-married man regrets that he has failed in his first marriage, when he was struggling for strength, to live the second civil marriage by faith, can we then deny him the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion?"
"Fear has nothing to do with Christianity. We believe indeed in the forgiveness of sins. On the possibility to start anew. "
Cardinal Marx and Cardinal Schönborn "Excited" by Kasper-speech
Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Marx was impressed by Kasper's speech. The speech was the "overture" to a discussion that will not end soon. Cardinal Marx was the one whom Prefect Müller had publicly challenged as he recalled the Catholic doctrine. According to the indissolubility of marriage, it is therefore impossible for the approval of remarried divorcees to receive Communion.
It made Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Schönborn, "Impressed." In the current issue of the Vienna Archdiocesan newspaper, he calls Kasper's speech "dazzlingly formulated" and "excellent." It therefore speaks to "just where the familys' shoe pinches," said Cardinal Schönborn. But it was only that Cardinal Kasper, had just focused on the overall question of "family" on a single topic, which also primarily affects only the West.
Strategic Planning and Capitulation
There the signs are showing that at least give the impression, as though the successes were according to strategic planning. Such was the case with the convocation of the Synod of Bishops, the questionnaire to the Bishops and now the consistory were part of a deliberate mislabeling. It said "family" on it, but from the beginning on it related to the unhinging of Catholic teaching on marriage in favor of a particular group of remarried divorcees. By 29 June 2013, Pope Francis called the Synod of Bishops, on 8 October 2013, he called for an October 2014 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the topic of "family ministry." It is guessed now by various quarters in Rome that the theme of divorced and remarried was part of a secret ballot surrender for Jorge Mario Bergoglio in conclave, which for the time being remains speculation. Whether he has obligations towards the main promoters of his election is actually valid can not be claimed for certain. It is known in any case that Cardinal Bergoglio would not have agreed to anything he does not share himself.
Exclusive Role of Kaspers and the Formation of His Opinion the Pope
So far, the Pope is silent on the "hot" topic. In the Tornielli interview last December he addressed German interpretations of his Apostolic Exhortation Gospel Gaudium, weakly, where Zollitsch is to have spoken of "new ways" for the remarried divorced. About which he addressed nothing to the Pope. and what he thought about it, the Pope did not say. Now he has written a short letter to "all the families" of the world from the Synod of Bishops, without, however, saying anything substantial. Not even though he had already exclusively commissioned Cardinal Kasper as the only speaker for the Cardinal Consistory at that time. An assignment that gives an above-average importance and visibility to a certain opinion. Addressing the Cardinals, but also to the public. It's an assignment that has the smell of a preliminary decision. On 10 March the full text of Kasper's speech will be published from the publisher Herder. One must already accept translations into other languages. Kaspers speech is also presented as only direct opinion from the College of Cardinals to the public. The more than 70 speeches of other cardinals remain unknown. And this, even though it was "heated" as it is called in Rome, were reactions to Kasper's foray. Die Zeit published excerpts for the German-speaking world. Comparable media caliber will follow tomorrow in other language areas. The soil is prepared. The danger of an actual or constructive schism of the German Church is off the table. Their interests have arrived by Cardinal Kasper in Rome. Exclusively. "German" wishes in terms of remarried divorcees are well on the way to prevail. Pope Francis is silent. He sets the stage, provides the choreography and staging, without even himself saying a meaningful word.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Radio Cristianidad
Image: Radio Cristianidad
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD
More apostasy by the German bishops pushing a third Reformation.
ReplyDeleteThis open statement/hypothetical question of Cardinal Kasper's is nothing new. When he was Prefect of the CDF Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger addressed this very question:
ReplyDeleteCardinal Kasper has said:
"If a divorced re-married man regrets that he has failed in his first marriage, when he was struggling for strength, to live the second civil marriage by faith, can we then deny him the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion?"
Cardinal Ratzinger earlier instruction (with clear and precise pre-conditions) answered that Penance and Holy Communion were permitted to the divorced and civilly remarried Catholic
There is, however, a great potential for mischief suggested by Cardinal Kasper's ambiguous qualifying phrase:
"when he was struggling for strength, to live the second civil marriage by faith"
and where are all the other cardinals? Is there not a one who questions or objects or resists? not one? Why are they silent-- utterly silent?
ReplyDeleteScroll down. The CDF has been very critical of +++Kasper.
DeleteI live in the U.S. and members of my family who are divorced and remarried go to communion even the day of their child's baptism w/no one saying anything (these children were raised to "not believe" in confession and even when missed mass for long periods etc. were taught when attend follow parents in the communion line; parents of course are sterilized after 3 kids after using birth control all of marriage). One would think the priests would have asked the situation of parents who are having child baptized. I think these bishops just want official approval for what they are doing already. Most people don't know their fellow parishioners. At my old parish watched people's protestant mother-in-laws who moved in w/them go to communion as well as protestants at masses to open 40 Days for Life prayer vigils. No instruction is ever given so how would these people know that what they are doing is wrong? Many conservative Catholics see nothing wrong w/continuing to worship w/church where 80% are on birth control, where politicians who vote to legalize abortion and homosexual marriage laws and confirm judges supporting these policies publicly receive communion and where divorced and remarried or living in sin politicians like Kennedy and Cuomo publicly receive communion as long as the LAW on the BOOKS doesn't change. This is a fig leaf -- and we all know what God thinks of those. EVERYONE in Sodom was destroyed. See beginning of Romans Chapter 2.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou say:
"Many conservative Catholics see nothing wrong w/continuing to worship w/church where..."
You had me for a moment there. Given your earlier castigation of doctrinally ignorant liberal (apparently) Catholics and non-Catholics, I was surprised to note you pointedly directed your opprobrium at 'conservative' Catholics.
As worthy or unworthy as its ordained ministers may be, the Catholic Church was established by Christ Who instituted the seven sacraments as the means by which we might be saved through His salvific Grace.
Adult Catholics have a grave and never ending duty before God to educate themselves (and their families, etc.) in Catholic doctrine and moral teaching regardless of the zeal or ignorance of the ministers of the Church.
Christ, truly present in the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, is the Reason why 'conservative' Catholics 'see nothing wrong with continuing to worship in the Church...':
“Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68
Well stated! And the use of John 6:68 was also a perfect choice to silence the spewers of stupidity.
DeleteMr Ronan:
DeleteI'm afraid you are reading too much into this person's statement. I don't think for a moment that the person is suggesting that people who witness these horrors at their Mass on a daily basis should walk away from the Catholic Church as such, but only to find another, less offensive parish to worship in (if that'e even possible these days).
If your interpretation of 'Anonymous' is correct and I have misunderstood, then I agree with you that certainly there is the option, if not a duty, to attend (and perhaps register) at a parish where sound doctrine is preached and practised.
DeleteIf I have misinterpreted 'Anonymous' comment I do apologize.
Where did Kasper study moral theology? If, like he says,
ReplyDeletea Catholic can return to the Sacraments for penitential reasons, then the Catholic must fully repent. That means, sexual relations within a second "marriage" not annulled must cease and desist. How can one be truly penitential if one does not intend to stop sinning?
On 14 September 1994 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the CDF issued a letter to all of the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the reception of Holy Communion by divorced and remarried members of the Faithful within which letter Cardinal Ratzinger stated:
Delete"The faithful who persist in such a situation may receive Holy Communion only after obtaining sacramental absolution, which may be given only "to those who, repenting of having broken the sign of the Covenant and of fidelity to Christ, are sincerely ready to undertake a way of life that is no longer in contradiction to the indissolubility of marriage. This means, in practice, that when for serious reasons, for example, for the children's upbringing, a man and a woman cannot satisfy the obligation to separate, they 'take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples'". In such a case they may receive Holy Communion as long as they respect the obligation to avoid giving scandal."
As for your question:
"How can one be truly penitential if one does not intend to stop sinning?" One can have the best and most perfectly formed intention to avoid sin and still find oneself in the confessional week after week; otherwise there'd be no return business for the confessor once children had made their First Confession.
There are no unforgivable sins. There are, however, not a few sinners
who will not, either out of ignorance or pride, admit they have sinned.
Liam you said, "One can have the best and most perfectly formed intention to avoid sin and still find oneself in the confessional week after week".
DeleteVery good and well but the "intention" by the penitent still has to be one of not sinning. For example, if one struggles with a sex addiction like fornication, one can "slip and fall" while working it out on Confession, but still through grace and penance arrive at a point where one stops the fornication. One cannot expect absolution if the intention is to keep fornicating, even if one is going every week to confess.
This is why Kasper's argument is untenable. He is suggesting that a couple living as man and wife in a second marriage (when the first marriage is not annulled), can begin to receive communion if they are "sorry", even though they intend to keep living as man and wife in sexual union. No matter how you spin it, unless there is an annulment, the couple is living in adultery.
I heartily agree with you and your observations in respect of Confession. There must be a firm purpose of amendment or why even present yourself?
DeleteIt puts me in mind of a certain organized crime family whose 'more religious' hit-men confessed their intended 'hits' in advance so that if they themselves were unexpectedly 'rubbed-out' they would have been absolved of their sins in advance.
I am not wedded (forgive the pun) to Cardinal Kasper or his argument. I believe in the indissolubility of marriage as the Church has taught for 2000 years but I also believe in repentance and sacramental mercy.
I think the focus of this 're-examination of marriage' has drifted or been hijacked by those who do not want Mercy but licence.
They will not bend the knee to any one.
Even so, I say again, there are no unforgivable sins. There are, however, not a few sinners who will not, either out of ignorance or pride, admit they have sinned.
Nice discussion Liam, well thought posts. Allow me to suggest this, there is such a thing as an "unforgivable sin" in one sense - final and total despair. Even God cannot forgive one who doesn't ask for it.
DeleteI do agree however, that Sacraments like Confession and Communion can confer the grace to open one's heart to total repentance and therefore should be frequented regularly for those who desire to overcome sin and accept Christ's forgiveness. That being said, I think an argument can be made (as Kasper is insinuating) that one could and should receive Communion while struggling with serious sin (as long as the goal is to stop the sin completely - through His grace of course).
Forgot about 'The Sin Against the Holy Ghost'. Thanks. The only things I despair of these days are my wit and my memory.
DeleteI agree that upon having had the necessary sacramental absolution one should receive the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life, as frequently as possible when in the state of grace.
As for what the good Cardinal is insinuating, I know not absent specifics.
I am at a loss to comprehend what he intends by the phrase:
" to live the second civil marriage by faith"
As the adage goes, "The devil is in the details."
Peace.
That's what penitence means.
ReplyDeleteLiam, Peter said: "Lord, where shall we go? YOU have the words of eternal life." But Kaspar, to the applause of Pope Francis, is contradicting the Word of God and saying while we can't change the Word of God, we don't have to obey it! ["And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof." Mt 7:26-27]
ReplyDeletehttp://www.romereports.com/pg155863-pope-francis-expresses-support-for-cardinal-kasper-s-serene-theology-on-the-family--en
You state "Adult Catholics have a grave and never ending duty before God to educate THEMSELVES ...in Catholic doctrine and moral teaching", but Pope Francis is the guardian of Catholic doctrine! The Church cannot TEACH error. Its indefectibility is guaranteed by the Holy Ghost. If men are teaching contrary, they DON'T have the Holy Ghost (Jn 14:23)
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. Gal 1:8
And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell. And it hath been said, Whoseoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting for the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. Mt 5:29-32
Our right eye and right hand IS the Church, but when the priests are bad:
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!" Mt 6:22-23
My house is the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. Lk 19:46
60 million abortions, $17 trillion debt, assisted suicide for the sick, elderly, and handicapped, homosexual marriage, teens being taught sado-masochism: these are not the works of God! Yet where is the prayer for these sins crying to heaven for vengeance from the Body of Christ? "Worship” w/murderers, adulterers, sodomites + pedophiles Pelosi, Cuomo and l McCarrick, but the THIEF comes only to kill, steal and destroy! Many Jews put their faith in High Priests and a Temple (surely if the Priests condemned Him, Jesus was not the Messiah). But in 70 AD all was destroyed. Conservative Catholics like Kasper see the truth but preach going along w/evil not for money but so that they will be saved! The Bible says: Do NOT consent to evil. (Acts 8:1) Do NOT go along/walk with evil doers. (Psalm 1:1)
I am not one who is prone to toss scriptural quotes back and forth but your sincerity and anxiety put me in mind of this passage:
Delete"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm." Matthew 8:24 - 26
I am careful personally with zinging scriptural references to make any point. I take my guidance in that respect from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) who wrote in a review of Soloviev's work "A Short Tale of the Antichrist" regarding the temptation of Christ in the desert:
"The Devil proves to be a connoisseur of the Bible who knows how to quote the psalm exactly."
Peace friend!
Pope Emeritus Ratzinger denies the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and has written that we are justified in hoping that hell is empty. “It seems to me that Pope Benedict’s position – affirming the reality of Hell but seriously questioning whether that the vast majority of human beings end up there – is the most tenable and actually the most evangelically promising.”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column.php?n=2383
I would hardly use him to justify your need for salvation; I don't think he is a believer in an afterlife. Also the apostles were not committing and condoning sins that cried out to heaven for vengeance so I don't see how your analogy about a "storm" holds (a storm would be an outside persecution not an internal apostasy). When was the last time you heard any Pope cry out to Jesus Christ for help? Sodomy is a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance. 60 million babies have been murdered and a 100,000 more are being murdered each day--again a sin crying to heaven for vengeance. Pope Francis was silent in Brazil about the abortion law that was passed right after his World Youth Day $38 million in the hole beach extravaganza where bikinis and beach balls replaced prayers and rosaries and dancing was led by a homosexual porn star. Belgium has just authorized the euthanasia of children by their parents and Pope Francis is again silent. Stick with these priests if you like, but you are as much a hypocrite as the Pharisees who worry about paying tithes on spices while murdering their parents because the priest said it was Korban. It doesn't matter if Herod and Herodias are receiving communion as long as the Law isn't changed. Meanwhile it is Bishop Lefebvre, who died excommunicate (but will probably be declared a saint the same day Sts. JP & J23 are declared heretics), because he did not go along & probably single handedly preserved the faith. He separated himself, just like John the Baptist, the martyred apostles, and prophets separated themselves (and are now recognized as saints). Judgment declares who was a sheep and who was a goat, but the actual separation occurs by what you do on earth.
"And Jesus wept." John 11:35
DeleteThese men even deny the central tenet of the faith that Jesus died for our sins, so I don't know why anyone would bother following (at least the people had the good sense to walk out on Nestorius when he preached heresy). The more people stay w/these people thinking they are being "faithful", the more heretical everyone is becoming and the more it looks like it has all been a 40 year plot to walk us back to Egypt.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/Utheo/Utheo-5g.htm
http://www.sspxasia.com/Documents/SiSiNoNo/2001_November/Cardinals_With_No_Faith.htm
http://gloria.tv/?media=573137
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2009/apr/09042107
What would you suggest as the specific solution(s) for these very real and daily multiplying problems in the Church?
DeleteI don't disagree with you that there is wide-spread apostasy and ignorance at present.
However, having put your finger on the problems I am genuinely interested what you might propose in terms of concrete solutions for the afflicted Bride of Christ and the faithful remnant.
Peace.