Yes, but…

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With his encyclical "Amoris laetitia," Pope Francis has permitted the reception of sacraments for remarried divorcees on a case-by-case basis. The pope has now renewed this view while rejecting a practice that is too liberal.

According to an article in Tuesday's edition of the semi-official Vatican newspaper "Osservatore Romano," Francis endorsed a guidance note from Argentine bishops who see the possibility of communion for Catholics in a problematic situation under canon law opened up by the pope's letter "Amoris laetitia". There are "no other interpretations," Francis wrote to the bishops of the pastoral region of Buenos Aires.

Interpretation of a footnote

The pope's document "Amoris laetitia," published in April on ies of marriage and family doctrine, uses a footnote to speak of the Eucharist being "not a reward for the perfect, but a generous remedy and nourishment for the weak".

The comment refers to faithful living "in an objective situation of sin"; according to Catholic teaching, this applies to persons living in a new relationship with an existing ecclesiastical marriage. A debate arose around the binding nature and interpretation of this passage.

In the letter, according to "Osservatore," Francis writes that priests should practice more the pastoral attitude of discernment. Further, the Pope emphasizes that "Amoris laetitia" is the "fruit of the work and prayer of the whole Church, with the mediation of two synods and the Pope".

The Vatican newspaper reproduces the Argentinean bishops' rules of application for "Amoris laetitia" in such a way that an admission to the sacraments cannot be a "permission", but only the result of a discernment process accompanied by a clergyman "personally and pastorally". This path "does not necessarily end in the sacraments"; rather, it can also lead to a different participation in the life of the Church.

Argentine solution

If possible, remarried divorcees should be encouraged to live together in sexual abstinence. This, however, does not always represent a practicable solution. If, for example, the person's guilt is limited or there is a threat of harm to the children from the new relationship, "Amoris laetitia" opens the "possibility of access to the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist," the bishops said.

However, this is not to be understood as unlimited access to the sacraments, nor is it justified in every situation. For example, the duration of the new commitment, repeated failures of relationships or the evaluation of one's own life situation would play a role.

It is important to examine the conscience of the person concerned. In the case of "unresolved injustices," a reception of the sacrament is "particularly offensive". It may also be advisable that access to the sacraments be done "in a discreet way," especially when conflicts are expected. Also, a climate of understanding and openness should not create "confusion regarding the Church's teaching on indissoluble marriage," the newspaper quotes the Argentine bishops as saying.

Silvio Berlusconi makes headlines every day. Whether as head of a media empire himself or as a politician, as on Wednesday, Italy's interrogation judges are clearing the way for his prosecution. Prime minister loses immunity. Now the Catholic Church has spoken out – but it won't comment. Relations between Rome and Vatican have long been strained.

The spokesman for the Italian bishops' conference, Domenico Pompili, said Thursday in response to a question from the Catholic News Agency that it was a "primarily political matter". Conference chairman Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco would not comment on the development until the next bishops' meeting at the earliest, he said, in his keynote address. The meeting will take place from 9. to 12. November in Assisi. According to estimates from church circles, the bishops want to avoid taking a clear position. In the background, among other things, are negotiations about state funding for private schools, many of which are run by Catholics. In addition, a bioethics bill is pending in parliament, where Berlusconi has promised a vote in favor of the Catholic Church.The background to the strained relationship is not only Berlusconi's private escapades, but also his refugee and immigration policies, to which the country's Catholic media reacted critically. The most recent incident was a campaign by the Berlusconi-affiliated newspaper Il Giornale against the editor-in-chief of the episcopal newspaper Avvenire, Dino Boffo, who has since resigned, over an alleged homosexual affair.Italy's head of government Silvio Berlusconi considers his relations with the Vatican to be "excellent," despite the recent media feud with the Catholic daily Avvenire. As evidence of broad unity with the Catholic Church, the government leader invoked a common defense of fundamental values such as human life and the family. The government will also demonstrate its "outstanding relations" with the Holy See on a pending law on living wills at the end of life, the center-right politician stressed.

Media coup meeting with Pap At the end of September, Berlusconi, who by his own admission is 1.71 meters tall, pulled off a media coup to underscore this assessment: just in time for the Pope's departure for the Czech Republic, the Italian head of government showed up at the VIP terminal at Ciampino to greet Benedict XVI. to adopt. An appearance like wharf from the box, with all effects. Berlusconi had landed in Rome on Saturday morning, coming from the G-20 summit with the world's powerful in Pittsburgh – a good half hour before the pope was due to depart there for Prague. So it seemed only like a gesture of courtesy and reverence that the Cavaliere greeted the head of the church – in front of photographers, of course. In fact, the center-right politician's meeting with the pope was limited to a few words while walking before the latter boarded the plane to Prague. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi stressed to reporters afterwards that there had been no actual conversation between Berlusconi and Benedict XVI during the two minute. Given.The brief encounter reverberated widely in the country's newspapers. "La Stampa" wrote in the headline of a "new start of dialogue" between Pope and Berlusconi. The first two inside pages also dealt with the head of government's lightning visit, dubbed "Operation Ciampino," as the pope departed for his trip to the Czech Republic. Now "the final word is spoken after the tensions between church and government", the paper quoted a source from Berlusconi's official residence Palazzo Chigi.

Berlusconi loses approval among Catholics Berlusconi loses more and more support among Catholic voters. According to a recent poll, the approval rating of practicing Catholics for the head of the center-right alliance has dropped from 55 percent in April to 50 percent recently. At the same time, the Church's reputation among this group of voters has risen slightly in recent weeks: 85 percent gave their faith institution a positive rating according to the survey, two percent more than in April. According to the newspaper, 800 people were surveyed for the opinion poll.

Ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was dismissed from the priesthood for sexual abuse, is again in the headlines. He allegedly transferred about a million dollars to a controversial organization when he was Archbishop of Washington.

As reported by the Washington Post (Monday local time), McCarrick allegedly secretly transferred about $1 million to a controversial organization of Catholic missionaries during his tenure as archbishop of Washington.

Institute founder himself convicted of abuse

According to the report, the money flowed to the "Institute of the Incarnate Word" founded by Carlos Miguel Buela in Argentina in 1984. Its founder was convicted in 2016 of sexual "misconduct" with seminarians.

The priest allegedly coerced young men under his care into sexual acts – as McCarrick himself did, according to a ruling by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Vatican put the organization in connection with appropriate investigations temporarily under supervision.

Money from fund may have been spent without consultation

According to the newspaper, it remained unclear why former Cardinal McCarrick had transferred money to the organization between 2004 and 2017. The money, according to the report, came from the "Archbishop's Special Fund," a kind of special fund from which McCarrick gave money to senior Vatican staffers, among others.

A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said McCarrick raised about six million dollars for the fund himself and spent it without consultation. "Therefore, all questions would have to be addressed to him," the spokeswoman said.

Ultraconservative institute now under investigation

The Vatican confirmed that it had taken action against Buela several times for sexual misconduct with seminarians. As a result, the founder of the institute had to move to a monastery in Spain, which he is not allowed to leave due to a ban confirmed by Pope Francis.

Now the organization itself is being investigated, which is considered to be part of the ultra-conservative circle with sympathies for the former military junta. McCarrick is said to have helped the institute expand its activities in the U.S. By its own account, the organization includes priests, religious and seminarians in 38 countries.

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