{"id":17818,"date":"2017-01-17T17:40:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T17:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges-68427\/"},"modified":"2017-01-17T17:40:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T17:40:00","slug":"lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s not misuse Pope Francis’ plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis\u2019 teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia<\/em> will ensure that we receive the Holy Father\u2019s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church\u2019s teaching,\u201d he wrote Jan. 16 in \"A Pledged Troth<\/a>\".<\/p>\n

The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope\u2019s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia<\/em><\/a> based on secular media reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The bishop cited Amoris laetitia<\/em>\u2019s presentation of marriage as \u201can image for understanding the mystery of God himself\u201d as \u201ca communion of love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes\u2019 Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs.<\/p>\n

The bishop\u2019s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate\u2019s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge \u201ca deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The marriage rite for the husband includes the words \u201cto love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God\u2019s holy law.\u201d<\/p>\n

A valid marriage is \u201cirrevocable\u201d and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God\u2019s holy law,\u201d Bishop Lopes said. \u201cConstantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God\u2019s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia<\/em>\u2019s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins \u201cin reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.\u201d It continues through \u201cdiscerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening \u201cold wounds best left alone.\u201d The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person \u201cpeer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop\u2019s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese\u2019s tribunal.<\/p>\n

Concerning cases where a person\u2019s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia<\/em> and St. John Paul II\u2019s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio<\/a><\/em>. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple\u2019s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church \u201cas a mother who welcomes them always.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bishop cited Pope Francis\u2019 exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be \u201ca lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,\u201d the Pope\u2019s exhortation said.<\/p>\n

The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion.<\/p>\n

Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the \u201cgrave danger\u201d of misunderstandings, including the idea that \u201cany priest can quickly grant \u2018exceptions\u2019,\u201d according to Amoris laetitia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery \u201cadmits of no exceptions.\u201d As Familiaris consortio<\/em> says, discernment does not allow us to \u201clook on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future\u201d and there are not different degrees of God\u2019s law for different individuals and situations.<\/p>\n

The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia<\/em>\u2019s statement that conscience formation \u201ccan never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,\u201d Bishop Lopes said.<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia<\/em>\u2019s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience \u201ccan include the help of the sacraments.\u201d This phrase has been the source of much controversy.<\/p>\n

The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession.<\/p>\n

His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis\u2019 teaching in the context of St. John Paul II\u2019s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia<\/em><\/a>, which repeated the Council of Trent\u2019s teaching that confessing one\u2019s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

A civilly remarried couple \u201ccommitted to complete continence\u201d could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught.<\/p>\n

\u201cA civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,\u201d Bishop Lopes explained. \u201cIn this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it \u2018can be followed with the help of grace\u2019,\u201d Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis\u2019 exhortation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion\u2019s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,\u201d Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter.<\/p>\n

“Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia<\/em> will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in “A Pledged Troth<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia<\/em><\/a> based on secular media reports.<\/p>\n

“As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said.<\/p>\n

The bishop cited Amoris laetitia<\/em>’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.”<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs.<\/p>\n

The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.”<\/p>\n

The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.”<\/p>\n

A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities.<\/p>\n

“Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!”<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia<\/em>’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.”<\/p>\n

This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.”<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal.<\/p>\n

Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia<\/em> and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio<\/a><\/em>. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.”<\/p>\n

The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.”<\/p>\n

“To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said.<\/p>\n

The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion.<\/p>\n

Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio<\/em> says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations.<\/p>\n

The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia<\/em>’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.”<\/p>\n

“Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said.<\/p>\n

Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia<\/em>’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy.<\/p>\n

The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession.<\/p>\n

His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia<\/em><\/a>, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught.<\/p>\n

“A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.”<\/p>\n

At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace.<\/p>\n

“The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation.<\/p>\n

“God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added.<\/p>\n

His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions.<\/p>\n

“As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nLet's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in "A Pledged Troth". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in "A Pledged Troth". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Marriage_Credit_Alex_Studio_via_wwwshutterstockcom_CNA_10_14_15.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/\",\"name\":\"Let's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in \\\"A Pledged Troth\\\". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Let’s not misuse Pope Francis’ plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Let's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges","description":"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in \"A Pledged Troth\". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Let's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges","og_description":"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in \"A Pledged Troth\". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Marriage_Credit_Alex_Studio_via_wwwshutterstockcom_CNA_10_14_15.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/","name":"Let's not misuse Pope Francis' plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-01-17T17:40:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Houston, Texas, Jan 17, 2017 \/ 10:40 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ teaching on marriage aims to help people in difficult family situations without departing from the broader context of Catholic teaching, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of St. Peter has explained in a new pastoral letter. “Only a careful and faithful reading of Amoris Laetitia will ensure that we receive the Holy Father’s words with the gratitude and respect due them, safeguarding this beautiful reflection from those who would misuse it to promote practices at odds with the Church’s teaching,” he wrote Jan. 16 in \"A Pledged Troth\". The bishop cautioned against a reading of the Pope’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia based on secular media reports. “As we navigate the joy and pain of family life, including obstacles and challenges that seem, at times, insurmountable, we know that we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us, has suffered as we have, and promises that nothing can separate us from his love and mercy,” he said. The bishop cited Amoris laetitia’s presentation of marriage as “an image for understanding the mystery of God himself” as “a communion of love.” Bishop Lopes’ Houston-based ordinariate, which covers the United States and Canada, is a special Church jurisdiction set up by Benedict XVI to aid Anglican communities who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain elements of their liturgy and other customs. The bishop’s pastoral letter reflects on the ordinariate’s marriage rite, in which spouses pledge “a deep, exclusive loyalty and lifelong faithfulness.” The marriage rite for the husband includes the words “to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law.” A valid marriage is “irrevocable” and not even the Church has the power to contravene it, said the bishop, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter gave particular attention to ordinariate members who may have divorced while part of Episcopalian or Anglican ecclesial communities. “Knowing well the reality of sin and weakness, the Church tenderly accompanies those who struggle and fail in their attempts to live God’s holy law,” Bishop Lopes said. “Constantly encouraging that daily conversion by which those who fall, can, by God’s grace, rise again, the Church never abandons her children. No one is excluded from the love and mercy of God!” Bishop Lopes noted Amoris laetitia’s emphasis on pastoral accompaniment of those who have divorced and civilly remarried. This process begins “in reminding people in this circumstance that they are loved by God and remain cherished members of the Church.” It continues through “discerning whether the irregular marital situation can be effectively resolved through a declaration of nullity of the previous marriage.” This process can appear complicated or can cause fears of opening “old wounds best left alone.” The process should not be done alone but rather within the community of the Church to help a person “peer into difficult realities with the strength of faith and Gospel truth, so that what was hurtful in the past does not inflict new pain now.” Bishop Lopes said members of the ordinariate who are divorced-and-remarried should speak to their pastor or another priest or deacon of trust. The bishop’s ordinariate does not yet have a marriage tribunal, but its priests and deacons can help the faithful navigate the local Catholic diocese’s tribunal. Concerning cases where a person’s first marriage was valid, Bishop Lopes cited both Amoris laetitia and St. John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortio. The entire community of the faithful must be attentive to a couple’s situation and ensure that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church. The community must help the couple and any of their children experience the Church “as a mother who welcomes them always.” The bishop cited Pope Francis’ exhortation, which said a lukewarm attitude or any relativism would be “a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church.” “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being,” the Pope’s exhortation said. The Pope warned against hasty judgements about individuals and encouraged treating the weak with compassion. Pastoral discernment with the divorced-and-remarried must avoid the “grave danger” of misunderstandings, including the idea that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’,” according to Amoris laetitia. Bishop Lopes explained that the prohibition against adultery “admits of no exceptions.” As Familiaris consortio says, discernment does not allow us to “look on the law as merely an ideal to be achieved in the future” and there are not different degrees of God’s law for different individuals and situations. The bishop stressed the need for formation of conscience in the light of Church teaching. He cited Amoris laetitia’s statement that conscience formation “can never prescind from the gospel demands of truth and charity, as proposed by the Church.” “Consequently, pastoral discernment admits of no exceptions to the moral law, nor does it replace moral law with the private judgments of conscience,” Bishop Lopes said. Bishop Lopes interpreted Amoris laetitia’s footnote 351 as saying that the formation of conscience “can include the help of the sacraments.” This phrase has been the source of much controversy. The bishop explained this help of the sacraments can include the Eucharist, under conditions of Church teaching on worthy reception of the Eucharist: anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Confession. His pastoral letter placed Pope Francis’ teaching in the context of St. John Paul II’s 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which repeated the Council of Trent’s teaching that confessing one’s mortal sins must precede the worthy reception of the Eucharist. A civilly remarried couple “committed to complete continence” could receive the Eucharist after proper discernment with their pastor and after making a sacramental confession, the bishop taught. “A civilly remarried couple firmly resolving complete chastity thus resolves not to sin again, which differs in kind from a civilly remarried couple who do not firmly intend to live chastely, however much they may feel sorrow for the failure of their first marriage,” Bishop Lopes explained. “In this situation, they either do not acknowledge that their unchastity, which is adultery, is gravely wrong, or they do not firmly intend to avoid sin.” At the same time, no one should regard themselves as beyond God’s grace. “The firm intention for a chaste life is difficult, but chastity is possible, and it ‘can be followed with the help of grace’,” Bishop Lopes said, quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation. “God orders us to our happiness and well-being, he commands only what is for our goodness, and he never abandons us in our weakness and need,” he added. His pastoral letter noted that the Anglican Communion’s pastoral practice includes, in some jurisdictions, accommodation of divorce, contraception, and same-sex unions. “As a result, that Communion has fractured as the plain teaching of Scripture, Tradition, and reason was rejected,” Bishop Lopes said, noting that this situation motivated groups of Anglicans to repeatedly request individual and corporate reception into the Catholic Church.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/lets-not-misuse-pope-francis-plan-for-christian-marriage-bishop-urges\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Let’s not misuse Pope Francis’ plan for Christian marriage, bishop urges"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17818\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}