Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6—The Georgia Bulletin, October 30,1980
New Norms
(Continued from page 1)
of its arguments and by their preponderance.” It added
that “those petitions presented in a spirit other than one
reflecting humility will not be admitted.”
The congregation urged bishops and religious superiors
to be spiritual fathers to priests who are “in a serious
spiritual crisis” and to give them “strong, straightforward
and necessary assistance so that they may more easily and
joyfully safeguard the duties undertaken on the day of
ordination toward the Lord Jesus Christ and his holy
church.”
The congregation urged the bishops and superiors to
“make use of all those things in the Lord which can call
back a wavering brother to peace of mind, to confidence,
to renewal, and to quick resumption of his former state.”
It suggested using; depending on the circumstances of the
case, the help of “his priestly brothers, friends, relatives,
physicians and psychologists.”
The three-page letter and the single page of norms do
not mention the seven pages of norms dealing with
celibacy dispensations which the doctrinal congregation
sent bishops and religious superiors on Jan. 13, 1971, or
the four-page letter of clarification which the
congregation sent on June 26,1972.
Both the old and the new norms state that the one
competent to handle petitions for dispensation from
j»riestly celibacy is the bishop of the diocese to which the
priest belongs or the major superior of the religious order
to which he belongs. If that bishop cannot handle the
case, the bishop of the diocese where the priest habitually
resides can be asked to do so, or the doctrinal
congregation can designate some other bishop.
The old norms, however, said that the bishop handling
the case should ask the bishop of the diocese to which the
priest belonged or his religious superior for information
related to the request and for their views on it.
Both old and new norms say that the priest asking to
be dispensed from celibacy is to be prohibited from
exercising the priestly ministry while the case is being
considered. But the new norms state that the bishop may
forgo this prohibition if he judges that the exercise of the
Synod-
(Continued from page 1)
church because of their weakness and objective difficulties
in obeying them.”
- In the pastoral approach, priests should use the “law
of gradualness,” recognizing a need frequently for
“patience, sympathy and time” in educating couples to an
understanding and acceptance of the teaching, but at the
same time insisting on the normative nature of the
teaching.
On divorce and remarriage:
Those Catholics who are divorced and remarried
cannot be admitted to the Eucharist, but “they can and
must participate in the life of the church. They should
hear the word of God, frequent the sacrifice of the Mass,
devote themselves to prayer, engage in promoting charity
and justice in the community, educate their children in
the Christian faith.” They should be helped by priests and
lay persons.
- Pastors must be sensitive to different situations, such
as the difference between those who were gravely at fault
in the break-up of a first marriage and those who were
unjustly abandoned, or who remarried for the sake of
raising the children, as well as those who are certain their
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ministry is necessary “to protect the reputation of the
priest or to foster the good of the community.”
Both say that the bishop himself or a priest he
designates is to handle the case and to gather documents
and proofs. The old norms specified examination of
experts in medicine, psychology and psychiatry in accord
with the nature of the case. The new norms say “the
insights of experts are to be utilized where appropriate.”
The old norms called for the interrogation, insofar as
expedient, of such witnesses as parents, brothers and
sisters, superiors and other priests. The new norms call for
questioning or obtaining written depositions from
superiors during the petitioner’s period of formation and
hearing other witnesses either suggested by the petitioner
or called by the bishop of priest handling the case.
Both sets of norms call for obtaining such information
about the priest requesting the dispensation as the time
and place of birth, background and family circumstances,
manner of life, studies, examination before reception of
holy orders, or before making vows as a Religious, time
and place of ordination, record of priestly ministry and
present legal status under both civil law and church law.
The new norms require information on “causes and
circumstances of leaving the active ministry and factors
which could have vitiated the assumption of clerical
obligations.”
The old norms, going into greater detail about the kind
of information sought on the causes and circumstances of
the priest’s difficulties, said this should include matters
such as:
- Before ordination: sickness, immaturity in the
psychic or physical order, violations of the sixth
commandment during the time of formation in the
seminary or religious order, pressure on the part of
parents, errors of superiors in judging his vocation.
-- After ordination: lack of adaptation to the ministry,
anguish or crisis in the life of the spirit or in the faith,
errors regarding celibacy and the priesthood, dissolute
morals.
Unlike the old norms, the new, shorter norms do not
say anything about;
first marriage was invalid even though this cannot be
proved in court.
- Those who are civilly divorced but refrain from
second marriage despite difficulties, are “authentic
witnesses of fidelity who are needed by the world today,”
and the church community should help them.
- The synod asked for “a new and deeper study” to be
made of the Orthodox practice under which, in certain
limited cases, persons in second marriages may be
admitted to the sacraments, although their second
marriage is not recognized as sacramental.
On the equality of women:
- Christ “confirmed the equal dignity of men and
women.”
- In the tradition “which still prevails widely,” the
woman’s role is still seen as primarily in the family and
the man’s in public affairs, but the synod offered three
interrelated comments:
- 1. “In the promotion of women’s rights, first of all
the equality of the maternal and family role with public
roles and other specific professions must be recognized. A
new theology of work in this regard is to be desired.”
- 2. “For the rest, from what has been said it follows
that the access for women to public roles of whatever
kind must be open in an equal way as it is for men.”
- 3. “On the other hand, society must be set up in such
a way that women are not forced to outside professional
work, but that the family can live properly even if the
mother devotes herself fully to the family.”
- The synod noted particular concern for women
oppressed by society through “pornography and
prostitution, which gravely harm the dignity of women
especially,” as well as social discrimination against women
in various fields or against women in particular situations
- such as unwed mothers, widows, divorcees and childless
wives.
Inculturation, the adaptation of church law
and practice to local cultures, was a major issue at the
synod, particularly for African bishops, who mentioned
marriage laws and the rite of matrimony.
While the synod fathers reaffirmed the principles of
church universality and the need for cultures to be
compatible with the Gospel, they made two potentially
far-reaching recommendations:
- That bishops’ conferences study the elements of their
cultures regarding marriage and family to achieve
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- The kinds of positions in seminaries and other
Catholic schools which priests dispensed from celibacy
may not hold.
- Where priests dispensed from celibacy should live in
order to avoid scandalizing those who knew they were
priests.
- A ban on performing any function of holy orders
or exercising any pastoral ministry by priests dispensed
people, spent two hours at the Vatican. The pope
and Queen Elizabeth expressed a hope for greater
unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
(NC Photo from KNA)
from celibacy.
The 1972 letter clarifying the old norms said “the mere
wish to marry, contempt for the law of sacred celibacy,
attempted civil marriage or a date set for celebrating the
marriage” were insufficient reasons for obtaining a
dispensation from celibacy. It said also the dispensation
“will not be given automatically; proportionately grave
reasons are required.”
authentic inculturation in “theological, pastoral, liturgical
and disciplinary” areas.
- That with attention to the diversity of cultures,
bishops and bishops’ conferences be granted the powers to
make decisions within the framework of existing church
laws.
Another major question raised by the synod was the
situation of many baptized Catholics who have minimal
faith or no longer believe or wish to be married in the
church for social or cultural rather than religious reasons.
Regarding this, the synod made several points:
- “A study should be made of the way in which the
faith of those making the contract, as an expression of the
Quinn Clarifies Remark
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Archbishop John Quinn
of San Francisco said Oct. 24 he was referring to
divorced and remarried Catholics when he said “the
church can not admit them to the sacraments,
however honestly they feel about it.”
The archbishop had made the remark the
previous day at a press conference and it was widely
reported that he was referring to women who use
artificial means of contraception.
“No, the question was about divorce and
remarriage,” he told NC News.
He rejected any reference to contraceptive users
in the statement.
“That answer referred to those who were
divorced and remarried outside the church,” he said.
Asked if he had any further comment on it, he
said: “No. I wish it would all go away.”
covenant and as a conscious and personal realization of
their baptismal vocation, is required for the validity of
this sacrament.”
- “It is understood that faith is not present if it is
formally rejected. Indeed the very petition for matrimony
is a sufficient sign of this faith, if it is grounded in truly
religious motives. However, since the celebration of the
sacrament is considered more of a social convention than
a religious event in some places, stronger signs of personal
faith by those to be married seem necessary.”
- “A more profound examination be made whether the
affirmation, according to which valid matrimony between
baptized persons is always a sacrament, applies even to
those who have lost the faith . . . Further, it should be
investigated what are the pastoral criteria for discerning
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faith in those about to marry and how the minimal
intention of believing with the church must be contained
in the intention of doing what the church does.”
Regarding mixed marriage, the propositions said:
- Marriage between Catholics is the ideal.
- For mixed marriages, bishops’ conferences should be
“given more power to establish norms,” safeguarding,
however, the Catholic’s obligation to provide for the
baptism and Catholic education of the children.
- The religious freedom of both parties is to be
respected.
- When both parties in a mixed marriage are Christian,
the marriage “can exhibit an ecumenical quality.” The
Catholic and non-Catholic ministers should collaborate in
pastoral care.
Natural family planning:
-- It is necessary to have deeper research, the
communication of information, and a much stronger
effort to spread the education - which should be made
accessible especially to the poor - about the scientifically
well established natural methods of birth regulation,
which are in conformity with human dignity and the
teaching of the church.
The synod also treated numerous other themes relating
to Christian family life. These included:
- The role of the parents and the family in raising
children to be responsible, just, virtuous, religious,
obedient, civic minded and prepared to fulfill their role in
church and society.
-- The particular needs of families in special
circumstances, such as the poor, the homeless, refugees,
migrants, incomplete families, families with members who
are handicapped, families with members who are
alcoholics or drug addicts, and families suffering
discrimination.
-- The phenomena of “trial marriages” and “so-called
free unions,” which the synod said affect the stability of
society itself.
Some of the synod’s 43 propositions were divided into
two or three sections, so that there were actually 50 votes
on the document. The synod fathers reportedly approved
all sections by substantial majorities, passing some
without a negative vote.
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