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| Archbishop G. L. Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. |
In response to mistaken expectations
that the Catholic Church might review and relax her stand on the issue of receiving
Holy Communion by divorced and remarried Catholics, Archbishop
G. L. Muller (Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) officially reaffirms the church’s teachings
contrary to the wrong expectations. He acknowledged that many Catholics' first
marriages might be invalid, and thus eligible for annulment, if spouses had
been influenced by prevailing contemporary conceptions of marriage as a
temporary arrangement.
Here are some extracts from his write-up
to this regard:
A
"case for the admission of remarried divorcees to the sacraments is argued
in terms of mercy," but such an argument "misses the mark" in
regard to the sacraments, since the "entire sacramental economy is a work
of divine mercy and it cannot simply be swept aside by an appeal to the
same."
"An objectively false appeal
to mercy also runs the risk of trivializing the image of God, by implying that
God cannot do other than forgive… The mystery of God includes not only his
mercy but also his holiness and his justice. If one were to suppress these
characteristics of God and refuse to take sin seriously, ultimately it would
not even be possible to bring God's mercy to man."
"This
practice (of allowing second or third marriages even when the first is
sacramentally valid) cannot be reconciled with God's will, as expressed
unambiguously in Jesus' sayings about the indissolubility of marriage,"
"If
remarried divorcees are subjectively convinced in their conscience that a
previous marriage was invalid, this must be proven objectively by the competent
marriage tribunals. Marriage is not simply about the relationship of two people
to God, it is also a reality of the church, a sacrament, and it is not for the
individuals concerned to decide on its validity, but rather for the church,
into which the individuals are incorporated by faith and baptism."
"Today's
mentality is largely opposed to the Christian understanding of marriage, with
regard to its indissolubility and its openness to children. Because many
Christians are influenced by this, marriages nowadays are probably invalid more
often than they were previously, because there is a lack of desire for marriage
in accordance with Catholic teaching, and there is too little socialization within
an environment of faith."
"Therefore
assessment of the validity of marriage is important and can help to solve
problems."
"But
where the requirements for an annulment are lacking, he wrote, civilly
remarried Catholics may receive communion only if they promise to abstain from
sexual relations, living together "as friends, as brother and
sister." Archbishop G. L. Muller (Prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith).
