Bishops at Synod Turnng Their Back At Pope Francis!

[JimofPennsylvan]

It is really clear what Pope Francis is trying to do for the Catholic Church. He is trying to make the Church more attractive to people so that the Church will stop losing membership to other denominations of the Christian faith, the Muslim faith and other religions. One could conclude that Pope Francis with his deep devotion to the person of Jesus believes it is better to bring and keep people into the Catholic faith under less than ideal circumstances than lose these people altogether because the Catholic faith offers the fullness of truth about the faith of Jesus Christ and the optimum means of obtaining grace to follow the path that Christ calls individuals to follow.
To this end, Pope Francis seems to be on this highly commendable effort to permanently change the Church rules to allow people that have divorced and remarried without getting an annulment on their first marriage to receive communion. What an outstanding disappointment that the Church's Cardinals and Bishops are not making a hundred percent effort to try to back him in this initiative, reports out of the Synod going on in Rome indicate the Bishops will be blocking the Pope in his effort here!
This writer is not a Catholic theology expert just an ordinary Catholic one finds in the pews so maybe this writer is out in left field in this analysis but this writer believes the Bishops could find a way to morally sanction what the Pope wants to do here. Fundamentally this issue involves the following aspects. Is such a remarried person in a state of mortal sin because that is the dispositive factor if such a person is in mortal sin they cannot receive communion but if they are only in venial sin they can. More specifically, the issue is does the sex this remarried couple engages in with their new spouse amount to mortal sin because if this remarried couple is committed to not having sex they can then receive communion this is well settled Church law.
If one is seeking perfect goodness which God would be seeking one should conclude that in not all cases such behavior by remarried Catholics amounts to mortal sin. Mortal sin is serious sin wchich if one dies with such sin on one's soul without repenting for one is eternally damned eternally separated from God. After getting divorced some people may remarry in part because emotionally, psychologically and physiologically they need to be in such a relationship to function, one should have doubts that an all good God would eternally damn such people for a situation which to a significant degree is beyond their control no offense is intended here but the Church's current rule espouses the viewpoint here which lacks this love of neighbor perspective. The Bishops should be fully reasonable and support the viewpoint that these remarried relationships in at least some cases may not be mortally sinful and support striking down the Church's rule of a blanket prohibition on these remarried Catholics being able to receive communion!

 

[TNHarley]

I think he is just a Marxist..

 

[irosie91]

I think he is just a Marxist..

I is a jew---------I consider Francis to be dangerous. I agree with the OP---that his primary
motive is "KEEP THE CHURCH STRONG" --------the problem is *** "at any cost" *** In that
he harbors that particular motivation------he reminds me of PIUS-----who was so concerned
with the "CHURCH" ABOVE ALL------that he courted adolf hitler. IMHO the modification
on divorce-----is no more exciting than the meat on Friday-------thing of Pope John XXIII ------
but Francis seems to be ----FAST SLIDING DOWN A SLIPPERY SLOPE. I believe that
Francis does things (or endorses stuff) that he, himself, despises-----for the sake of
KEEPING "the church" strong

 

[Meriweather]

It is really clear what Pope Francis is trying to do for the Catholic Church. He is trying to make the Church more attractive to people so that the Church will stop losing membership to other denominations of the Christian faith, the Muslim faith and other religions. One could conclude that Pope Francis with his deep devotion to the person of Jesus believes it is better to bring and keep people into the Catholic faith under less than ideal circumstances than lose these people altogether because the Catholic faith offers the fullness of truth about the faith of Jesus Christ and the optimum means of obtaining grace to follow the path that Christ calls individuals to follow.
To this end, Pope Francis seems to be on this highly commendable effort to permanently change the Church rules to allow people that have divorced and remarried without getting an annulment on their first marriage to receive communion. What an outstanding disappointment that the Church's Cardinals and Bishops are not making a hundred percent effort to try to back him in this initiative, reports out of the Synod going on in Rome indicate the Bishops will be blocking the Pope in his effort here!
This writer is not a Catholic theology expert just an ordinary Catholic one finds in the pews so maybe this writer is out in left field in this analysis but this writer believes the Bishops could find a way to morally sanction what the Pope wants to do here. Fundamentally this issue involves the following aspects. Is such a remarried person in a state of mortal sin because that is the dispositive factor if such a person is in mortal sin they cannot receive communion but if they are only in venial sin they can. More specifically, the issue is does the sex this remarried couple engages in with their new spouse amount to mortal sin because if this remarried couple is committed to not having sex they can then receive communion this is well settled Church law.
If one is seeking perfect goodness which God would be seeking one should conclude that in not all cases such behavior by remarried Catholics amounts to mortal sin. Mortal sin is serious sin wchich if one dies with such sin on one's soul without repenting for one is eternally damned eternally separated from God. After getting divorced some people may remarry in part because emotionally, psychologically and physiologically they need to be in such a relationship to function, one should have doubts that an all good God would eternally damn such people for a situation which to a significant degree is beyond their control no offense is intended here but the Church's current rule espouses the viewpoint here which lacks this love of neighbor perspective. The Bishops should be fully reasonable and support the viewpoint that these remarried relationships in at least some cases may not be mortally sinful and support striking down the Church's rule of a blanket prohibition on these remarried Catholics being able to receive communion!

I have doubts that Pope Francis' agenda is to stem the loss of membership. That is not how the Church works. What I think Pope Francis is doing is listening to the Church membership, the lay ministries that pop up to work on certain issues, like those of abortion and divorce. I

Parish priests also help these lay ministries, and it becomes an issue with bishops as well. In other words, the pope has been addressing issues that permeate the current Church membership, he not battling bishops.

Catholics understand the complexity of the issue. We take Christ's words seriously: Let no man separate what God has joined in valid marriages. As such, the Catholic Church works with couples for at least six months before they are married--a year is preferable. They work with couples who are married to strengthen their marriages through marriage encounters. They help couples who were in invalid marriages attain valid annulments. They're supportive of separated families (where remarriage is not an issue). But there is still a group of Catholics that the Church seems helpless to assist. One one hand are faithful Catholics (in other aspects) who remarry after being in a valid marriage and obtaining a secular divorce. On the other hand we have Christ's own words saying this should not be done.

The Catholic Church works together as a Church. A pope cannot just up and say, "I'm changing doctrine." The Pope can say, "Here's the problem...what can we--with the guidance of the Holy Spirit--do to help those, who despite Christ's command, did remarry?

 

[irosie91]

Meri-------thanks-----however, you forgot to add-----BASED ON MY FAITH ---it is impossible for me
to believe.............

 

[Steven_R]

I think he is just a Marxist..

Or he's just a guy that lives in the early 21st century and realized the world has changed and the church can either keep up and adapt to those changes or risk becoming a historical relic with little to no relevance. The Catholic Church has made changes in the past due to current affairs (requiring priests be celibate because of property issues, allowing Mass and Bibles to be in languages other than Latin, having ecumenical discussions with other faiths in the name of furthering understanding, getting rid of burning people at the stake for heresy, allowing the dissolution of the Papal States, etc...).

It isn't the first time the Church has changed to keep up with the times, and it won't be the last. The church uppers that don't like the changes don't like them for anything other than the risk to their own cushy positions.

 

[TNHarley]

I think he is just a Marxist..

Or he's just a guy that lives in the early 21st century and realized the world has changed and the church can either keep up and adapt to those changes or risk becoming a historical relic with little to no relevance. The Catholic Church has made changes in the past due to current affairs (requiring priests be celibate because of property issues, allowing Mass and Bibles to be in languages other than Latin, having ecumenical discussions with other faiths in the name of furthering understanding, getting rid of burning people at the stake for heresy, allowing the dissolution of the Papal States, etc...).

It isn't the first time the Church has changed to keep up with the times, and it won't be the last. The church uppers that don't like the changes don't like them for anything other than the risk to their own cushy positions.

ORRRR he is a Marxist..

 

[irosie91]

I think he is just a Marxist..

Or he's just a guy that lives in the early 21st century and realized the world has changed and the church can either keep up and adapt to those changes or risk becoming a historical relic with little to no relevance. The Catholic Church has made changes in the past due to current affairs (requiring priests be celibate because of property issues, allowing Mass and Bibles to be in languages other than Latin, having ecumenical discussions with other faiths in the name of furthering understanding, getting rid of burning people at the stake for heresy, allowing the dissolution of the Papal States, etc...).

It isn't the first time the Church has changed to keep up with the times, and it won't be the last. The church uppers that don't like the changes don't like them for anything other than the risk to their own cushy positions.

you are even more cynical than am I. ----church "uppers" are ---endorsed by the infallible pope.
Keeping up was something Pope John XXIII did----------I am not all that convinced that Francis is
out to "KEEP UP" To me he seems more like the guy who wants to keep his position CUSHY

 

[Steven_R]

I think he is just a Marxist..

Or he's just a guy that lives in the early 21st century and realized the world has changed and the church can either keep up and adapt to those changes or risk becoming a historical relic with little to no relevance. The Catholic Church has made changes in the past due to current affairs (requiring priests be celibate because of property issues, allowing Mass and Bibles to be in languages other than Latin, having ecumenical discussions with other faiths in the name of furthering understanding, getting rid of burning people at the stake for heresy, allowing the dissolution of the Papal States, etc...).

It isn't the first time the Church has changed to keep up with the times, and it won't be the last. The church uppers that don't like the changes don't like them for anything other than the risk to their own cushy positions.

ORRRR he is a Marxist..

Well, he could be both...