Lunacy in Lyon
LifeSite has a horrifying article about a development in France… poor poor France.
C’mon, faithful Catholics! Allons y, traditional co-religionists! Marry and have lots of kids!
Anyway, back to the Lunacy in Lyon.
Ban on Communion for divorced and remarried is ‘absurd and inhuman’: Cardinal
French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin commended Catholics in new unions who bear witness to true matrimony by refraining from partaking in the Eucharist but[but] clearly opened a door to those who feel they should receive communion while remaining in a second “marriage.”
Cardinal Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon in France and Primate of the Gauls, held a special service last Sunday at his cathedral for Catholics from broken marriages. The event was designed to share reflections on the controversial chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia and how it is interpreted in the diocese[It’s one way in this diocese and another way in that. Is that unity in the Faith or is that division?] – one of the most ancient dioceses in France that was created in the second century and glorifies saints such as the martyrs Irenaeus and Blandine.
“In the Church, Everyone is Needed” [Not a point that was at issue, of course.] was the title of Cardinal Barbarin’s talk. He said, “Everyone can see whether it is possible or not to change his or her situation; everyone realizes what is best today, for oneself or for those with whom one is now bound by a relationship of love and mutual service.” [And …. how is that determined? Does the Church’s teaching really play a role anymore?]
Clearly, a new union despite an existing marriage, in the eyes of the French Cardinal, can be defined as a “relationship of love and mutual service.” [It would be interesting to learn how they define “love”.]
Six divorced and “remarried” couples joined in the presentation, including Florence and George, who are active in the local Catholic community and participate in their parish reception service. They now regularly come to Mass together with their family. [They are obliged to participate at Mass anyway.]
From the pulpit, they explained how they would feel “isolated in the pews” at communion time. “The more we found our place, the less we felt a right to it,” they said. At that point, a priest offered to “accompany” them, [And that, friends, was that.] encouraging them to follow a course for people in this situation linked to the “Notre Dame Teams” that help Catholic spouses in the married state of life.
At the end of the course, after a period of discernment with the parish priest of Bron, near Lyon, a special celebration was arranged in which the couple was “blessed.” On the following Sunday, they both received communion. The first question the priest had put to them was: “Are you at peace?” [OH, YES! WE ARE!]
It does not appear that they indicated they are now living as brother and sister, nor was there any mention of that in Cardinal Barbarin’s own talk as a completely traditional solution to the problem. He had listened to them from the pews together with the lay participants in a symbolic gesture.
[…]
The rest is rather long. It’s a train wreck.
Hey, they feel good now!
