Malta: Priests ‘confused’ over bishops’ new guidelines

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There is deep discomfort among some priests over the bishops’ guidelines that make it possible for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.
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The situation was prompted by a document released a fortnight ago in which Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech offered their interpretation of Pope Francis’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
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A parish priest who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity said that he was confused by the guidelines because they proposed things that went against established Church doctrine.
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timesofmalta.com/mobile/articles/view/20170129/local/priests-confused-over-bishops-new-guidelines.637848
 
There’s confusion among the clergy. Yet I’ve seen well meaning laity condemned on this forum for their “weak faith” when admitting to being confused. In the end, the Church will sort it out. But it can be a painful process.
 
Time, and past time, to pray for our clergy, maybe specifically for the Bishops. I fail in that many times. Prayer changes hearts and the Holy Spirit is still at work. I’m reminded that once upon a time (and maybe more than once), a fair few of our Bishops were heretics. If Arianism didn’t kill the Church, I scarcely think AL will do us in.
 
There’s confusion over AL and the Malta bishops’ guidelines? I can’t believe it. :eek:
 
Tablefor9 said:
Time, and past time, to pray for our clergy, maybe specifically for the Bishops. I fail in that many times. Prayer changes hearts and the Holy Spirit is still at work. I’m reminded that once upon a time (and maybe more than once), a fair few of our Bishops were heretics. If Arianism didn’t kill the Church, I scarcely think AL will do us in.
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👍
 
Tablefor9 said:
Time, and past time, to pray for our clergy, maybe specifically for the Bishops. I fail in that many times. Prayer changes hearts and the Holy Spirit is still at work. I’m reminded that once upon a time (and maybe more than once), a fair few of our Bishops were heretics. If Arianism didn’t kill the Church, I scarcely think AL will do us in.
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True, but will souls be lost because of it in the meantime?
 
I thought the real issue was that, outside of Malta, there aren’t any “guidelines” worthy of the name.
 
katy said:
True, but will souls be lost because of it in the meantime?
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Will they be lost? Through no fault of their own? I’m thinking this is a matter for prayer and entrusting to the perfect mercy and perfect justice of Holy God.

I’m not saying there’s not a bit of trouble, here, but surely it’s no greater trouble than the fallen away?
 
twf said:
There’s confusion among the clergy. Yet I’ve seen well meaning laity condemned on this forum for their “weak faith” when admitting to being confused. In the end, the Church will sort it out. But it can be a painful process.
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:amen: :amen: :amen:
 
JPUSC said:
:amen: :amen: :amen:
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And I have also seen others proudly boast of apostasy and then acting like the SJWs they are on threads like this.

You guys wouldn’t last a second under the 16th century Catholic Church you seem to dream of. 😛
 
A furious reaction has been aroused as critics of Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia have balked at the way Malta’s bishops suggested that divorcees and remarried Catholics can assess for themselves their readiness to receive holy communion.
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Catholic observers around the world were stunned at the wording of the bishops’ guidelines, in which they said that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics could receive the sacraments if, with “an informed and enlightened conscience” they believe they’re at peace with God.
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maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/73914/maltese_bishops_shock_as_critics_warn_of_meltdown_over_teaching_on_divorcees#.WKNPFDzfWaM
 
And so it begins. I predict that this thread is going to be lively and exciting. 🍿
 
Our contemporary society has messed so much with the true meaning of human sexuality, marriage, and the family that it has forced the Church to become a sexual morality police force. Instead of focusing on the core Gospel message of love and mercy and bringing the Light of Christ to people, we are degraded to a life of merely having to tell people things that they should already know.

Jesus was very clear on this matter: remarriage after divorce is sinful because marriage is indissoluble (unless a pre-existing factor invalidated it), and any type of relationship after a divorce is adultery. Now, those who are in this situation have to feel welcome in the Church, but without a full reformation of self, it is impossible for them to “put on Christ” in the way in which we all ought.

May God bless you all! 🙂
 
Richard_White said:
Our contemporary society has messed so much with the true meaning of human sexuality, marriage, and the family that it has forced the Church to become a sexual morality police force. Instead of focusing on the core Gospel message of love and mercy and bringing the Light of Christ to people, we are degraded to a life of merely having to tell people things that they should already know.

Jesus was very clear on this matter: remarriage after divorce is sinful because marriage is indissoluble (unless a pre-existing factor invalidated it), and any type of relationship after a divorce is adultery. Now, those who are in this situation have to feel welcome in the Church, but without a full reformation of self, it is impossible for them to “put on Christ” in the way in which we all ought.

May God bless you all! 🙂
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That’s true. But it’s not just sexual morality that society has messed up. The underlying problem is the flowering of subjectivism. Fr. Timothy Vaverek surveys the damage here.
 
JimG said:
That’s true. But it’s not just sexual morality that society has messed up. The underlying problem is the flowering of subjectivism. Fr. Timothy Vaverek surveys the damage here.
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Thanks. I’m happy to see him drawing parallels between what’s happening now and Humanae Vitae. It makes me feel like my sense of things isn’t off in left-field.
 
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