Pope Francis rejects German proposal for inter-communion

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Vatican City, Jun 4, 2018 / 06:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- One month after Vatican and German delegates met in Rome to discuss a proposal put forward by German bishops to allow Protestant spouses in inter-denominational marriages to receive the Eucharist in certain circumstances, Pope Francis has rejected it.
In a letter dated May 25 and addressed to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and president of the German bishops conference, Cardinal-elect Luis Ladaria SJ, the Vatican’s top authority on matters of doctrine, said the text of the German proposal “raises a series of problems of considerable importance.”

The letter was published June 4 on the blog of Veteran Vatican journalist Sandro Magister.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...cts-german-proposal-for-inter-communion-61699
 
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Whew. I am glad this was formally considered and rejected by the Pope.
 
The headline is wrong, the Pope did not reject it, but asked that it be set aside

Bold is my emphasis.
Pope Francis asks German bishops to set aside plan on Communion for non-Catholic spouses

Pope Francis has asked the Catholic bishops’ conference of Germany not to publish nationwide guidelines for allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Communion at Mass, but to continue having diocesan bishops judge specific situations.

Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed the authenticity of a letter published June 4 on the Italian blog “Settimo Cielo.”

“The Holy Father has reached the conclusion that the document has not matured enough to be published,” said the letter signed by Cardinal-designate Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Francis asks German bishops to set aside plan on Communion for non-Catholic spouses | America Magazine
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Jim
 
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Interesting and somewhat of a relief that Pope Francis sided with the current norm in Canon Law for this one.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The headline is wrong, the Pope did not reject it, but asked that it be set aside
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JimR-OCDS said:
Pope Francis has asked the Catholic bishops’ conference of Germany not to publish nationwide guidelines for allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Communion at Mass, but to continue having diocesan bishops judge specific situati ons.
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Right. I don’t see a general rejection of the idea under certain circumstances.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Pope Francis has asked the Catholic bishops’ conference of Germany not to publish nationwide guidelines for allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Communion at Mass
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Are not most of the Protestants in question Lutherans? I know that many Lutherans believe in the Real Presence, but I am more concerned that they espouse the position that the Pope is the antichrist:

"Now, it is manifest that the Roman pontiffs, with their adherents, defend [and practice] godless doctrines and godless services. And the marks [all the vices] of Antichrist plainly agree with the kingdom of the Pope and his adherents."

Therefore, even though the bishop of Rome had the primacy by divine right, yet since he defends godless services and doctrine conflicting with the Gospel, obedience is not due him; yea, it is necessary to resist him as Antichrist. (Book of Concord)

Hence we subscribe to the statement of our Confessions that the Pope is “the very Antichrist.” (Smalcald Articles, Triglot, p. 475, Paragraph 10; M., p. 308.)

How can a devout Lutheran share communion with a Catholic when they espouse this position?
 
I am glad the Pope take the conventional Catholic position and reject the proposal of the Protestant bishops. No shared Communion as long as they reject the Catholic Church.
 
The proposal came from the Catholic bishops of Germany led by Cardinal Marx, not Protestant bishops.
 
twf said:
The proposal came from the Catholic bishops of Germany led by Cardinal Marx, not Protestant bishops.
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If they reject the ancient Catholic practice for communion are they not embracing Protestant views?

Sure sounds like protesting to me!
 
Cardinal Marx is on Pope Francis’ special Council of Cardinals. He’s in the inner circle. If he’s pushing for more discussion, I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen.
 
I don’t know. It may be that the Pope wants the processing of the issue to continue for its own value. He has always seemed to have a Socratic streak.
 
Seems antithetical to receiving Communion when one is not in communion. What part of “communion” is unclear?
 
This is a no-no from the Catholic’s perspective, perhaps the reason why the Holy Father cannot make a decision on. Ecumenism cannot compromise doctrine and Holy Communion is one.

As long as we (Catholics) do not recognize that they have apostolic succession and therefore cannot validly confect the Eucharist, we can never share or receive their Eucharist.
 
From your article.
A majority of the bishops’ conference had approved a plan to allow Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion if they experienced “distress”.
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I know their plan has been kept private, but if this is the point, it seems like people wanted to marry someone from a different faith tradition without any consequence for that particular part of their decision. One of the bishops remarked, “The disappointment is great for many, the damage is not yet foreseeable." Really? This actually should have been perfectly foreseeable to the person when they choose the marriage and the priest or clergy who wedded them.
 
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