A Moment of Moral Crisis -- Pope Francis Approves Norms for the Sacraments to Divorced and Remarried Catholics

(Let me say from the very beginning that I have spent a long time in study and prayer this past week reflecting upon recent developments affecting the manner in which the Church will minister to  divorced and remarried Catholics wishing to receive the Sacraments.  In offering this post, I wish the reader to know that I do so with humility as well as some trepidation over the impact which Pope Francis'  decisions will have for present and future generations of Catholic faithful.  And so, this post is more a work in progress than a full and complete consideration of this matter. I hope to continue to reflect on these issues and share those reflections in future posts.  I would ask the reader to please bear this in mind.)

This past week, Pope Francis replied to an interrogatory from the Argentine bishops offering his enthusiastic affirmation of their proposed norms for the implementation of the 8th Chapter of his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the chapter which deals with the sacramental status of divorced Catholics living in second marriages.

In their interrogatory, the Argentine bishops proposed norms for dealing with cases in which Catholics, who are considered to be validly married, have divorced and entered into a subsequent marriage.  The bishops provide for instances in which these same Catholics may be admitted to the Eucharist even when they choose not to practice continence (sexual abstinence) in the second marriage.  The Argentine bishops suggest that, in some cases, abstention from sexual intercourse may damage the relationship involved in the second union or may be unrealistic.  Consequently, failures of continence would not be considered instances of sin for which a Catholic would be culpable.  Their reasoning seems to be in line with the moral implications of Footnote 329 of Amoris Laetitia which suggests that, when continence is practiced in some second marriages, "faithfulness is endangered and the good of the children suffers".

Pope Francis has considered the proposed norms of the Argentine bishops and offered his wholehearted support and affirmation of them.  In doing so, the Holy Father officially has encouraged the Church to make a giant leap from classical  theology to unprecedented moral teachings and practices.  The Pope's decisive action is a move that will not be without great controversy and division within the ranks of the College of Bishops as well as among the myriad numbers of Catholic faithful who themselves will be confused and divided in their acceptance of these revolutionary teachings and practices.

One of the fundamental moral tenets which the Church consistently has proclaimed is that no one is bound to the impossible.  The Church traditionally has this, from the time of the Apostolic Fathers to the Council of Trent. Grace makes it possible to order one's moral choices according to the precepts of the Lord and His Church, even when doing so presents the greatest of challenges and hardships.

 The Council Fathers at Trent gave this teaching the force of law when they stated:  "If anyone says that the commandments of God are, even for one that is justified and constituted in Grace, impossible to observe, let him be anathema (excommunicated and condemned)".  They went on to teach that "God does not demand impossibilities, but by commanding admonishes one to do what one can, to pray for what one cannot, and to be aided that one may be able".

The source of this consistent Church teaching can be found both in the Sacred Scriptures and in decrees proclaimed by acts of extraordinary magisterium (the pronouncements of  Popes and bishops gathered in ecumenical council, the highest teaching authority of the Church).  For this reason, these moral principles form part of the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Tradition) which all Catholics of good faith must confess and obey.

Both Amoris Laetetia as well as the Argentine norms deviate from this clear magisterial teaching.  Now it appears that the the Christian faithful are no longer considered to be always free in their obligation to fulfill the moral law when it comes to adhering to the teachings and practices of the Church in the case of Holy Matrimony.  Somehow, the demands of marriage are so burdensome as to be impossible to observe.  So burdensome are the obligations of Holy Matrimony that those who divorce, remarry and choose not to observe continence are exculpated from even the possibility of sin.  Consequently, there is no sin which would bar them from continuing to receive the Sacraments.

Never before in the history of the Church has such a teaching been proclaimed and officially sanctioned by a Pope.  The Church finds itself in a new universe of moral and sacramental theology.

The dilemma is this:  the Apostolic Exhortation (Amoris Laetitia) and the Argentine norms approved by Pope Francis appear to contradict teachings which for centuries have been considered to be part of the Sacred Tradition of the Church.  Again, until this critical moment, both Sacred Scripture and Tradition have held that the commandments of God and His Church do not demand impossibilities of God's People.   Such moral precepts always were considered to be binding upon the human conscience.  The Church held that Grace and prayer were sufficient to strengthen and support even those who find the observance of such moral teachings and laws burdensome (or in the words of the Argentine norms "unrealistic").

With the promulgation of Amoris Laetitia and the Argentine norms now officially approved by the Supreme Pontiff, all has changed.

There have been some bishops who have questioned the binding authority of Francis' Apostolic Exhortation saying that it is a matter of Papal opinion and so is not part of the ordinary (and certainly not the extraordinary) magisterium of the Church.  These same bishops have gone even further in explaining that where the document agrees with magisterial teachings it does bind Catholics in conscience but, where it deviates from consistent magisterial pronouncements, it is does not.  Their arguments appear to be in keeping with the traditional Church teaching.

But now that Pope Francis has approved norms which are in conflict (if not in contradiction) to those teachings, bishops are confronting and attempting to respond to an unprecedented situation.  Some bishops have questioned whether the Holy Father has exceeded his authority by giving official sanction to a practice that is inconsistent with the teachings of both Sacred Scripture and Tradition.  Has he?

Thus far, the College of Bishops as a whole has been silent in the face this critical development.  No doubt, many of the bishops are stunned by the official approval which Francis has given to the Argentine norms.  How the overall College will respond is yet to be seen.  How the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, Reconciliation and the Eucharist will be impacted has yet to be determined.

However, if the Church is not to suffer irreparable damage to its teaching authority, the Holy Father and the College of Bishops need to be unified in offering the faithful guidance and assistance in making the difficult decisions affecting their Catholic faith and practice with regard to these Sacraments.  It would be unfortunate and harmful for a question of this import to be left to individual bishops or conferences of bishops.  Morality by geography is neither instructive nor inspiring.

May the Holy Spirit guide the Pope and the bishops as together they address the desire to both protect the inviolable sanctity of Holy Matrimony and continue to minister to those divorced and remarried Catholics wishing to receive the Sacraments.  Let us pray that God's Grace will be with them and with all those entrusted to their pastoral care.