SUMMARY:
-
THE SHIP OF PETER MAY SEEM TO FALTER BUT IT IS LORD WHO GOVERNS THE
WORLD
-
NOTIFICATION FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
-
PONTIFICAL LEGATE TO FIFTIETH INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS IN
DUBLIN
______________________________________
THE
SHIP OF PETER MAY SEEM TO FALTER BUT IT IS LORD WHO GOVERNS THE WORLD
Vatican
City, 4 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father yesterday had lunch with
Church leaders in the archbishopric of Milan. He had been staying at
the archbishopric during his three-day visit to that northern Italian
city for the seventh World Meeting of Families, the closure of which
he had presided that morning at an open-air Mass. At the end of the
meal the Pope made some brief off-the-cuff remarks.
"I
simply want to say thank you for everything I have been able to
experience over these days, for this experience of the living Church.
If from time to time we may think that the Ship of Peter is at the
mercy of ruthless adversaries, it is also true that we see that the
Lord is present, He is alive, He truly rose again and holds the
government of the world and the heart of mankind in His hand. This
experience of the living Church, which lives from the love of God,
which lives for the risen Christ has been, let us say, the gift of
these days. Thus let us give thanks to the Lord".
NOTIFICATION
FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Vatican
City, 4 June 2012 (VIS) - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith today published a "Notification Regarding the Book 'Just
Love. A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics' by Sister Margaret A.
Farley R.S.M". The document warns the faithful that the work in
question "is not in conformity with the teaching of the Church.
Consequently it cannot be used as a valid expression of Catholic
teaching, either in counselling and formation, or in ecumenical and
inter-religious dialogue". The English-language Notification is
signed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, and has been approved by the Holy
Father.
The
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to Sr. Farley in
2010 enclosing a preliminary evaluation of her book and indicating
the doctrinal problems it contained, however her answer failed to
clarify those issues in a satisfactory manner. The Congregation
therefore proceeded to examine the volume following the procedure for
"examination in cases of urgency". In June 2011 a
commission of experts confirmed that the "book contained
erroneous propositions, the dissemination of which risks grave harm
to the faithful". Sr. Farley was sent a list of the erroneous
propositions and invited to correct them, but her response "did
not adequately clarify the grave problems contained in her book"
and the Congregation decided to proceed with the publication of this
Notification, extracts of which are given below.
"The
author does not present a correct understanding of the role of the
Church’s Magisterium as the teaching authority of the bishops
united with the Successor of Peter, which guides the Church’s ever
deeper understanding of the Word of God as found in Holy Scripture.
... In addressing various moral issues, Sr. Farley either ignores the
constant teaching of the Magisterium or, where it is occasionally
mentioned, treats it as one opinion among others. ... Sr. Farley also
manifests a defective understanding of the objective nature of the
natural moral law".
"Among
the many errors and ambiguities of this book are its positions on
masturbation, homosexual acts, homosexual unions, the indissolubility
of marriage and the problem of divorce and remarriage".
"Sr.
Farley writes: 'Masturbation… usually does not raise any moral
questions at all'. ... This statement does not conform to Catholic
teaching: “Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a
constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in
no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an
intrinsically and gravely disordered action. ... For here sexual
pleasure is sought outside of the sexual relationship which is
demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual
self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is
achieved".
"Sr.
Farley writes: 'My own view ... is that same-sex relationships and
activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic as
heterosexual relationships and activities'. ... This opinion is not
acceptable. The Catholic Church, in fact, distinguishes between
persons with homosexual tendencies and homosexual acts. Concerning
persons with homosexual tendencies, the Catechism of the Catholic
Church teaches that “they must be accepted with respect, compassion
and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard
should be avoided” . Concerning homosexual acts, however, the
Catechism affirms: “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which
presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has
always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.
They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to
the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and
sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be
approved”".
"The
Church teaches that the respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in
any way to approval of ... homosexual unions. The common good
requires that laws recognise, promote and protect marriage as the
basis of the family, the primary unit of society. ... The denial of
the social and legal status of marriage to forms of cohabitation that
are not and cannot be marital is not opposed to justice; on the
contrary, justice requires it".
"Sr.
Farley writes: 'My own position is that a marriage commitment is
subject to release'. ... This opinion is in contradiction to Catholic
teaching on the indissolubility of marriage: “By its very nature
conjugal love requires the inviolable fidelity of the spouses. This
is the consequence of the gift of themselves which they make to each
other. Love seeks to be definitive; it cannot be an arrangement
‘until further notice’. The intimate union of marriage, as a
mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children, demand
total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable union
between them. ... The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention
of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates
the accommodations that had slipped into the old Law".
The
Notification also assesses Sr. Farley's opinion that divorced people
may remarry, saying: "This view contradicts Catholic teaching
that excludes the possibility of remarriage after divorce. ... In
fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ, ... the Church maintains that
a new union cannot be recognised as valid, if the first marriage
was'".
"With
this Notification, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
expresses profound regret that a member of an institute of
consecrated life, Sr. Margaret A. Farley R.S.M., affirms positions
that are in direct contradiction with Catholic teaching in the field
of sexual morality. ... Furthermore the Congregation wishes to
encourage theologians to pursue the task of studying and teaching
moral theology in full concord with the principles of Catholic
doctrine".
PONTIFICAL
LEGATE TO FIFTIETH INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS IN DUBLIN
Vatican
City, 4 June 2012 (VIS) - Made public on Saturday on 2 June was a
letter, written in Latin and dated 14 May, in which Benedict XVI
appoints Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation
for Bishops, as pontifical legate for the celebration of the fiftieth
International Eucharistic Congress, which is due to take place in
Dublin, Ireland, from 10 to 17 June.
Cardinal
Ouellet will be accompanied on his mission by Fr. Gearoid Dullea,
executive secretary of the Irish Episcopal Conference; Msgr. Cirian
O'Carroll, rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, and Msgr.
Samuele Sangalli, official of the Congregation for Bishops.
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