A prudent and authoritative suggestion for understanding and implementing openings towards couples in an irregular situation
of the card. Ennio Antonelli
Keeping firm the distinction between objective moral truth and the subjective responsibility of people, between general rules and individual cases, we ask ourselves what could be the moments and the concrete configuration of a spiritual and pastoral path to be proposed to people in situations of fragility, in a way to respect consciences and at the same time faithfully bear witness to the truth, without confusing imperfect good with evil.
Starting from humility
«The Synod referred to various situations of fragility or imperfection» (AL, 296). We prefer, with pedagogical sensitivity, to speak of imperfection rather than irregularity, to promote a common attitude of humility and permanent tension towards greater perfection. All families must feel imperfect (cf. AL, 325), indeed all Christians. In fact, we are all sinners, forgiven for some sins and preserved by others (even heroic saints are at least preserved sinners). This humble awareness must constantly mark our spiritual journey.
But we must all also reject the fundamental temptation, that of self-justification. We must avoid flaunting "an objective sin as if it were part of the Christian ideal" (AL, 297). The same thing has already been forcefully taught by Saint John Paul II in his encyclical on moral theology: "the attitude of those who make their own weakness the criterion of truth about good, so that they can feel justified by themselves, is unacceptable" (Veritatis Splendor, 104). Conscience is not a creator of morality (see Veritatis Splendor, 55-56); it cannot decide for itself what is good and what is bad; it is the proximate moral norm and is upright when it adheres to the supreme norm, that is, when it seeks and carries out the will of God. But when it seeks to do the will of God, the conscience is honest, even if it were erroneous. A wise pedagogy of adults, not unlike that of children, requires that they be encouraged to proceed in small steps, proportionate to their strengths, "which can be understood, accepted and appreciated" (AL, 271).
To know and carry out the will of God, prayer is necessary first and foremost. «God, in fact, does not command the impossible, but when he commands he warns you to do what you can, to ask for what you cannot, and helps you so that you can» (Council of Trent, DH 1536). To cohabitants, divorced and remarried people and civilly married people, the pastoral care of the Church offers first of all the support of prayer and then the stimulus for active commitment. «He invokes with them the grace of conversion, encourages them to do good, to take care of each other with love and to put themselves at the service of the community in which they live and work» (AL, 78). The goal of this path of growth is indicated as the fullness of God's plan (see AL, 297), which for some could be the celebration of sacramental marriage, for others the exit from the irregular situation through the interruption of cohabitation or at least through the practice of sexual continence (see Saint John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 84).
The path of growth does not only concern life as a couple, but also integration into the concrete ecclesial community: Holy Mass and other liturgical celebrations, training meetings, prayer and convivial fraternity, missionary and charitable activities. «Their participation can be expressed in various ecclesial services: however, it is necessary to discern which of the different forms of exclusion currently practiced in the liturgical, pastoral, educational and institutional fields can be overcome» (AL, 299).
To access Eucharistic Communion
Admission to Eucharistic communion normally requires complete visible communion with the Church. It cannot be granted as a general rule as long as the objectively disordered life situation lasts, whatever the subjective dispositions. However, exceptions are possible and, as we have already seen, the Pope shows that he is willing to admit them in some cases (see AL, 300; 305; notes 336; 351).
Obviously, the doctrine that every mortal sin excludes from Eucharistic communion is always true, as witnessed by all tradition, from Saint Paul (1 Cor 11, 27-29) to the Council of Trent (see DH 1646-1647; 1661), to Saint John Paul II (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1385; 1415; Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 36), who also specifically mentions sexual acts outside of marriage (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2390). Pope Francis highlights the social character (discrimination of the poor) that the sin incompatible with the Eucharist, condemned by Saint Paul, had (see AL, 185-186).
«The path of the Church is that of not eternally condemning anyone; to pour out God's mercy to all people who ask for it with a sincere heart" (AL, 296). However, we must ask for and welcome divine mercy with a sincere heart, committing ourselves to changing our lives. Mercy has nothing to do with tolerance; not only frees from punishment, but heals from guilt; it brings about conversion in sinners who cooperate freely with it. Only with conversion can forgiveness be accepted, which God, on his part, never tires of offering.
For couples in an irregular situation, the appropriate change is to overcome their situation, at least with a serious commitment to continence, even if relapses are expected due to human frailty (see AL, note 364). If this commitment is missing, it is rather difficult to identify other sufficiently certain signs of good subjective dispositions and of life in God's grace. However, a reasonable probability can be achieved, at least in some cases (see AL, 298; 303).
A prudent opinion
While waiting for desirable more authoritative indications, I try to hypothesize with great hesitation a way of proceeding in the internal forum in the difficult case in which the lack of a clear purpose regarding sexual continence is found. The priest confessor can meet a divorced and remarried person who sincerely and intensely believes in Jesus Christ, leads a committed, generous lifestyle, capable of sacrifice, recognizes that his life as a couple does not correspond to the evangelical norm, yet believes he is not committing a sin reason for the difficulties that prevent him from observing sexual continence. For his part, the confessor welcomes him with cordiality and respect; he helps him to make his dispositions better, so that he can receive forgiveness: he respects his conscience, but reminds him of his responsibility before God, the only one who sees people's hearts; he warns him that his sexual relationship is in conflict with the Gospel and the doctrine of the Church; he urges him to pray and commit himself to gradually, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, achieve sexual continence. Finally, if the penitent, despite foreseeing new failures, shows himself willing to take steps in the right direction, he gives him absolution and authorizes him to access Eucharistic communion in such a way as not to cause scandal (usually in a place where he is not known , as divorced and remarried people who commit to practicing continence already do). In any case the priest must follow the instructions given by his bishop.
The priest is called to maintain a difficult balance: on the one hand he must testify that mercy is the heart of the Gospel (see AL, 311) and that the Church, like Jesus, welcomes sinners and heals the wounded of life; on the other hand it must safeguard the visibility of ecclesial communion with Christ which shines in the faithful preaching of the Gospel, in the authentic celebration of the sacraments, in the right canonical discipline, in the coherent life of believers; he must in particular strengthen the evangelizing mission of the Christian family, called to radiate the presence of Christ with the beauty of Christian conjugal love: one, faithful, fruitful, indissoluble (see Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, 48).