Three Crises – and Three Opportunities

A wickedly funny website on matters Catholic, Ignatius His Conclave, recently pointed out that, in the currently casual logic of the Church, Communion for the divorced and remarried is:

1) a conscience matter (Cardinal Blase Cupich in February), or

2) subject to local regulation, which may lead to differences among bishops and national bishops’ conferences (the pope in Amoris laetitia and various spokesmen at various times), or

3) that “there are no other interpretations” than that of the Argentine bishops, since the papal letter saying so was published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (June 2017).

Which of these mutually exclusive possibilities is now normative, or will be at some future date, is anybody’s guess.

Note that this mess is a mere administrative question, that does not (yet) touch the radical recasting of marriage and the Church’s understanding of the Eucharist and her very self. On those things, the field is so tracked over with inconsistencies that it’s difficult just to formulate the problems. Though the Dubia still do a pretty good job.

But let us be of good cheer. As the old adage says, there is both crisis and opportunity here, and this creates a propitious moment for us to become more deeply acquainted with the authentic Catholic tradition.

 

Click here to read the rest of Dr. Royal’s column at The Catholic Thing . . .