Catechism of the Catholic Church

Uwagi wstępne Tytuł zapowiada więcej, niż poniższe uwagi zawierają. Zaproponowany przez redaktora naczelnego "Przeglądu Filozoficznego" został przez autora przyjęty jako wezwanie. Z tematem zmagam się od lat, więc go podjąłem, wcale nie będąc pewien, do czego mnie doprowadzi. Jedynym usprawiedliwieniem niech będzie prosty fakt, iż inni nie zajęli się tym tematem, choć zapewne na kwalifikacjach im nie zbywało. Chrześcijaństwo nie jest w Polsce tylko jedną z wielu religii, a postać Jezusa to więcej niż tylko jej legendarny założyciel. Skutki społeczne poglądów wypowiadanych przez reprezentantów katolicyzmu są inne niż opinie przedstawicieli innych religii, o niewierzących nie wspominając. Mają bowiem za sobą poparcie społeczne, posłuch polityków i prawie nieograniczony autorytet moralny. Nie chcę się wypowiadać, czy to jest zasadne, potrzebne czy szkodliwe. Po prostu jest to tzw. fakt społeczny, z którego trzeba sobie zdawać sprawę. Stąd odczuwana konieczność poprzedzenia tekstu poświęconego Jezusowi z jego koncepcji Boga wstępnymi uwagami wyjaśniającymi moje własne ujęcie tego problemu. Otóż wbrew dość powszechnej opinii kościół katolicki nie stanowi monolitu doktrynalnego, a najbardziej "katolickie" dogmaty znalazły się w ogniu radykalnej krytyki. Mam na myśli krytykę formułowaną przez teologów katoli-ckich; krytyka spoza kościoła jest i była czymś oczywistym od początku istnienia tej instytucji. Dotyczy to przede wszystkim jednego z najbardziej kłopotliwych dogmatów, mianowicie dogmatu o nieomylności papieża i, uświęconego wielo-wiekową tradycją, dogmatu chrystologicznego. Debata chrystologiczna jest zresztą ściśle złączona z przekonaniem, że papieże utracili prawo do autorytatywnej wykładni tradycji. Pytanie, czy teolog podejmujący tego rodzaju krytykę jest S t a n i s ł a w O b i r e k Ojciec Jezusa oraz ludzkich dzieci

Se il sesto comandamento si concentra sugli atti lussuriori, il nono mette in guardia contro la concupiscenza della carne, che si manifesta in pensieri e desideri impuri: richiede cioè di incanalare correttamente le pulsioni psico-fisiche, soprattutto quelle di natura sessuale. Anche il decimo comandamento chiede di vincere la concupiscenza, ma si concentra sugli occhi, vale a dire sull'avidità, l'invidia e il desiderio disordinato di possedere i beni altrui...

  (Online - Ed. San Paolo)
Sommario
1. Chiamati alla libertà

1.1. La concupiscenza impedisce di essere liberi
1.2. Accogliere il mistero della persona


2. La purificazione del cuore

2.1. La bataglia per la purezza
2.2. Il pudore

2.2.1. La purezza esige il pudore
2.2.2. Il pudore protegge l'intimità e facilita la comunicazione

2.3. La virtù della temperanza
2.4. La maturarione affettiva


3. Purificare il clima sociale: una società erotizzata

3.1. Potenziare l'ideale dell'autenticità
3.2. Integrare il vissuto in un progetto di vita
3.3. L'apertura verso l'altro nei Social Network

Conclusione


En Español
El sexto mandamiento se centra en los actos lujuriosos, mientras que el noveno pone en guardia contra la concupiscencia de la carne, que se manifiesta en pensamientos y deseos impuros; es decir, exige canalizar adecuadamente las pulsiones psico-físicas, especialmente las de carácter sexual. El décimo mandamiento exige también vencer la concupiscencia, pero se focaliza en la de los ojos, es decir en la avaricia, la envidia y el deseo desordenado de poseer los bienes ajenos...
  (Online - Ed. San Paolo)
Indice del Commento al nono comandamento (prof. Martín Carbajo)

1. Llamados a la libertad
1.1. La concupiscencia impide ser libres
1.2. Acoger el misterio de la persona

2. La purificación del corazón
2.1. El combate por la pureza
2.2. El pudor
2.2.1. La pureza exige el pudor
2.2.2. El pudor protege la intimidad y facilita la comunicación
2.3. La virtud de la templanza
2.4. La maduración afectiva

3. Purificar el clima social: una sociedad erotizada
3.1. Potenciar el ideal de autenticidad
3.2. Integrar las vivencias en un proyecto de vida
3.3. La apertura al otro en las redes sociales

Conclusión

Anand Amaladass, "The Writing Catechism and Translation Strategies of Three Jesuits in South India: Henrique Henriques, Roberto de Nobili and Joseph Beschi", in "Translating Catechisms, Translating Cultures: The Expansion of Catholicism in the Early Modern World", eds. Antje Flüchter and Rouven Wirbser (Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2017): 170-194.

While the author cannot speak for churches of Christ, common among them are unique ways of understanding holy scripture, believed to have been written by apostles and prophets of the Lord before the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) and circulated among the early Christian communities (E.g. A letter called First Clement in about 95 A.D., refers to at least ten New Testament books), then collected as a volume by the self-identified Christian community of the second century A.D. or earlier, e.g. the list of Marcion (140 A.D.).

Katechizm Kościoła Katolickiego w perspektywie biblijnej, w: Katechizm w służbie katechezy, red. A. Kiciński, Lublin 2013, s. 35-57


The Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Biblical Perspective, in: Catechism on duty of Catechesis, ed. A. Kiciński, Lublin 2013, s. 35-57

The article aims to address the question of whether the catechism is still a valid missionary tool. The question had already emerged with the various catechetical renewals preceding Vatican II. A biblical-liturgical catechism was therefore proposed, but also its overcoming for pedagogical reasons. In its place, the organization of itineraries or parcours that best suited the dynamics of learning and experimentation of the faith was preferred. Since the 1980s, however, the magisterium has pushed the episcopates towards a recovery of the quadripartite catechism also as the inculturation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992).
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L'article vise à répondre à la question de savoir si le catéchisme est toujours un outil missionnaire valable. La question s'était déjà posée avec les différents renouvellements catéchétiques précédant Vatican II. Un catéchisme biblico-liturgique a donc été proposé, mais aussi son dépassement pour des raisons pédagogiques. A sa place, l'organisation d'itinéraires ou de parcours les mieux adaptés à la dynamique d'apprentissage et d'expérimentation de la foi a été privilégiée. Depuis les années 1980, cependant, le magistère a poussé les épiscopats vers une récupération du catéchisme quadripartite aussi comme l'inculturation du Catéchisme de l'Église catholique (1992).

**********************************************************************************************************Facendo seguito alla ricerca del prof. Rizzi sul corpus dei catechismi nel fondo della Biblioteca Urbaniana de Propaganda fide, l’articolo vuole affrontare la questione se il catechismo sia ancora uno strumento missionario valido. La questione era emersa già con i diversi rinnovamenti catechetici precedenti il Vaticano II. Per alcuni decenni la questione è stata affrontata come ricerca del genere letterario del catechismo sia nella dimensione delle fonti che dell’articolazione generale. Si propose quindi un catechismo biblico-liturgico ma anche il suo superamento per motivi pedagogici. Al suo posto si preferiva la organizzazione per itinerari o parcours che meglio si adattano alla dinamica di apprendimento e sperimentazione della fede. A partire dagli anni ’80, tuttavia, il magistero ha spinto gli episcopati verso un recupero del catechismo quadripartito anche come inculturazione del Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica (1992). Tuttavia il futuro del catechismo-libro non è in questa via ma dell’approfondimento del gene-re testuale più adatto a narrare la proposta di fede e favorire la risposta del catecumeno nella linea della fides qua.

Introduzione
1. La importante ricostruzione di Giovanni Rizzi
2. Evangelizzare con il catechismo: interrogativi e nuove proposte missionarie

3. Il catechismo nella nuova catechesi del post-concilio Vaticano II;
3.1 Catechismo nel processo formativo;
3.2 Nuovi catechismi nel post-concilio;
3.3 Rifiuto del catechismo;
3.4. Ritorno al catechismo?

4. Verso una riformulazione del genere letterario catechismo;
4.1 La questione dei criteri;
4.2 Il catechismo nella catechesi;
4.3 Linee per rinnovare il genere letterario catechismo;
4.3.1 Conservare il primato della fonte biblica;
4.3.2 La inculturazione della dottrina: osare di più;
4.3.3 Un catechismo per l’esercizio della vita cristiana;
4.3.4 La dimensione pedagogica e didattica del catechismo

Meddi L., Proporre e formare la vocazione cristiana. Il ruolo del catechismo nella missione della Chiesa, in «Urbaniana University Journal», 70 (2017) 3 11-51

This article examines Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s grounding of the New Evangelization in the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, especially in light of critiques that view the Catechism as a reversal of conciliar renewal. By examining the history of modern catechetics through the lens of Benedict’s hermeneutic of reform and renewal, the author concludes that, far from being a reversal of the Council’s aims, the Catechism is, in fact, a fruit of it. Therefore, it remains an essential tool for the New Evangelization.

To the sacred dead. Florentius made this monument to his worthy son Appronianus, who lived one year, nine months, and five days. Since he was dearly loved by his grandmother, and she saw that he was going to die, she asked from the church that he might depart from the world a believer (Inscriptiones latinae christianae veteres [hereafter: ILCV], I:1343, from the third century; edited by E. Diehl (second edition; Berlin, 1961).

The year of Faith, announced by Benedict XVI, is an excellent time for a new reception of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. According to Benedict XVI, the Catechism presents the content of faith «that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed». The centre of this faith is the Mystery of Blessed Trinity, source and ground of the other Christian Mysteries. We propose a comprehensive, Trinitarian reading of the Catechism, which shows the Trinity as the Mystery we profess in Creed, the Mystery we celebrate in the Liturgy, the Mystery from which Christians live everyday and the centre of Christian prayer.

This dissertation examines themes of good and evil in Tolkien’s mythos through its god, Ilúvatar, and its moral agents, ranging from the Valar and Maiar down to the elven, human, dwarven and hobbit characters, focusing on the subject through the lens of creation. The conflict between good and evil is important to investigate because for Tolkien stories were impossible without a fall. In a letter to Milton Waldman he wrote that ‘[t]here cannot be any story without a fall – all stories are ultimately about the fall – at least not for human minds as we know them and have them.’  If stories are ultimately about the fall, then they are about the interplay of good and evil. Secondly, as Verlyn Flieger observes, ‘[Tolkien’s] fall is made to occur in the very act of creation so that the world thus set in motion is not, as in the familiar Judeo-Christian story of Genesis “good” until marred by human error but faulty and imperfect from the beginning.’  Therefore, the conflict between good and evil must be examined with regards to creation and creating.
As Tolkien himself wrote, ‘The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously at first but consciously in the revision.’  Accordingly, this dissertation seeks to engage with a reading of Tolkien’s mythological canon as ruminating on the nature of evil from a distinctly Catholic theological perspective, examining mainly The Silmarillion and The Lord of The Rings. This is done rather than take the Boethian approach taken by academics such as Tom Shippey. Furthermore, this piece seeks to expand the terminology around Tolkien's ideas of Creation and Sub-creation by adding the neologism 'Counter-creation' to describe the action of evil, in order to fill a void that Tolkien indicated felt existed within the English language.

How did the need for a plural presentation of the Christian message in catechetical practice arise and how did it develop? In summary form it can be summarized as follows: the strong reaffirmation of the unity of Christian doctrine made by Vatican I fails to cancel in theologians and catechists the awareness of the difficulty of being able to affect the life of the recipients with the model of doctrine alone. Christian.
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¿Cómo surgió y cómo se desarrolló la necesidad de una presentación plural del mensaje cristiano en la práctica catequética? De forma resumida se puede resumir así: la fuerte reafirmación de la unidad de la doctrina cristiana hecha por el Concilio Vaticano I no logra anular en teólogos y catequistas la conciencia de la dificultad de poder incidir en la vida de los destinatarios con el modelo de doctrina solo, cristiano.
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Comment est né le besoin d'une présentation plurielle du message chrétien dans la pratique catéchétique et comment s'est-il développé ? En résumé, il peut être résumé comme suit : la forte réaffirmation de l'unité de la doctrine chrétienne faite par Vatican I ne parvient pas à annuler chez les théologiens et les catéchistes la conscience de la difficulté de pouvoir affecter la vie des destinataires avec le modèle de doctrine chrétien.
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Come è nata e come si è sviluppata l’istanza di una presentazione plurale del messaggio cristiano nella prassi catechistica? In forma sintetica si può riassumere così: la riaffermazione forte dell’unità della dottrina cristiana fatta dal Vaticano I, non riesce ad annullare nei teologi e nei catecheti la presa di coscienza della difficoltà di poter incidere nella vita dei destinatari con il solo modello della dottrina cristiana. L’istanza nasce quindi da una preoccupazione missionaria. In un primo momento si pose l’accento sulla pluralità dei metodi, successivamente si mise l’accento sulla pluralità delle fonti del messaggio e sul primato della scrittura. Ma progressivamente il cammino si concentrò sulla necessità di porre in relazione il messaggio (e le sue fonti) e le realtà differenti dei destinatari.
In questo modo si viene a configurare una catechesi che “modella” i contenuti della fede in risposta agli interrogativi e le esigenze di senso degli uomini e delle donne dei diversi contesti antropologici. Tuttavia questo movimento plurale  e centrifugo, non perde di vista la necessità di unità della fede. Se all’inizio questa istanza fu vissuta come esigenza didattica (ad esempio il cristocentrismo didattico del catecheta dell’Urbaniana G. Nosengo), progressivamente l’istanza  fu affrontata in se stessa all’interno della questione dei modelli dei catechismi.
Questa duplice istanza guida ancora oggi la discussione sul modello di catechismo più adatto ai nostri tempi. È importante notare, inoltre, che quando i diversi autori ed esperienze catechistiche hanno indicato un rinnovamento della catechesi e nella prospettiva di una via “plurale” al servizio catechistico, essi hanno spesso usato il termine missione.

L. Meddi, Catechesi e pluralismo. La necessità di vie plurali nella comunicazione del messaggio, «Euntes Docete n.s.», 58 (2005) 58, 1, 165-212

I. pluralismo nella catechesi  moderna
II. Il rinnovamento catechetico e la “nuova catechesi”
III. Il dibattito sul catechismo della chiesa cattolica
IV. Indicazioni conclusive: una catechesi plurale

This elaboration has been describing the development of Mariology since the Catholic Catechism Of Trident until the Catechism Of The Catholic Church, in the aspect of the Eve-Mary antithesis. The time between the two Catechisms – since 1566 until 1992 –characterizes the direct development of Mariology.
In CCT, we read repeatedly about the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God`s Son. She was named the most holy, virgin, full of the grace, advocate, also the Second Eve. We do not find however, in this source, the individual mariology treaty. CCT has given the passage about the Eve-Mary antithesis. The personage of the faithful Blessed Virgin was opposed to the unfaithful Eve. The Blessed Virgin was called the Mother of Jesus the Redeemer of people. Hence, she was contrasted with the first mother who made motherhood with relation to sinners. Above these points, the Blessed Virgin was demonstrated on the basis of the comparison with Eve.
Indirect sources between CCT and CCC have indicated the development of the mariology problems, until the rising of the separate treaty of the dogmatic theology, has been called Mariology. In this range, the history of Marian dogmas, has noted the development of the Eve-Mary antithesis . The Church`s teaching has been remembering the Early Christian sources and commenting on the Protoevangelium. This permitted us to deepen the understanding of the meaning of the Blessed Virgin as the New Eve.
A novelty of the intercatechismal theology is a showing of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin announced in Genesis 3:15. The development of the Eve-Mary antithesis has also embraced the dimension of the spiritual motherhood of God`s Mother and the accompaniment to Jesus, during His Messianic activity. The Blessed Virgin, the New Eve, was depicted in each theological source, since CCT until CCC, as a holder of all moral and religious virtues, and beneficiary of the greatest glory which can approach the creation.
CCC has clearly called the Blessed Virgin the New Eve and the Comrade of the Saviour. She was the Mother of all the redeemed. She approached the glories of heaven as the first among the saved. In CCC has appeared a new typology. The Church`s teaching has connected the whole Church with the person of the Blessed Virgin, for the reason of no defect and no wrinkle, but the whole saint (cf. the Ephah 5:27, CCC 773). In this meaning, the Blessed Virgin is not only the New Eve, but also the New Woman and the New Creation which wholly and voluntarily entrusts to God.

o r d i a U n i v e r s i t y , 7 1 4 1 S h e r b r o o k W e s t A D 1 0 3. 8 , M o n t r e a l. Q u e b e c. C a n a d a. Abstract Pope John Paul II encouraged people to make good use of the means of social communications to sustain positive impacts of contemporary media on audiences. A re-reading of Pope John Paul II's texts led me to the conclusion that he applied media effects theory to his reflections in social communications. What were the topics contained in the reflections of Pope John Paul II about impacts of media on the audiences, using missionary commitments in Catholic Church as a case study? This article examined selected texts of St. John Paul II on four major impacts of media: secularization in the world, power of new instruments of communication, globalization of communication, and visibility of the Church in the world of the twenty-first century. The article's analysis revealed that John Paul II's views about media effects were shaped by two-step flow theory of media effects.

Du début du XXe siècle à la fin du XXe siècle, la présentation du péché s'est nettement transformée au sein du catholicisme et du protestantisme français. La reformulation du rapport à Dieu s'y manifeste nettement, ainsi que le recul de la dimension normative de la religion.

A pioneer of the French School of Spirituality, St. John Eudes has never been categorized as a moral theologian. Yet, section 3 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which explains the moral  life in Christ, begins with a long quote from his writings. A misattributed quote, to boot. This brief presentation explores the possible reasons behind this.

Chapitre 7 de la thèse de doctorat de Bruno Restif, soutenue en décembre 2004 à l'Université Rennes 2 Haute-Bretagne sous la direction d'Alain Croix : La Paroisse, cadre d'application de la Réforme catholique en Haute-Bretagne (diocèses de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo). Histoire d'un processus de transformation religieuse et culturelle (XVIe et XVIIe siècles). Titre du chapitre 7 : Transformation des pratiques et conversions intérieures. Intériorisation, souci de perfectionnement et usages de l'image-objet.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the Sacrament of Matrimony as a "matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life … ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring." This is such a loaded definition, and one which we should all look further into in order to understand how this is applicable in a life concerning conjugal love. To do so, we must look at this both from a philosophical and theological perspective. We will begin with an Aristotelian understanding of the nature of friendship and move on to the biblical and ecclesial understandings of the nature of marriage so that we can gain a fuller understanding of what constitutes a good one. For it is much easier to determine a cause for the dysfunction in a marriage by first knowing how it is supposed to function in its proper order.

This paper reviews the historical development of the Roman Catechism, analyzing portions of its text according to Paul Ricoeur’s interpretative theory. It then demonstrates how the catechism conveys an ideology in which the church’s primary role is to defend itself against threats to its survival and internal structure. Finally, it proposes a way of reimagining the catechism based on a process of identifying its distortions, discovering the real referent, and then appropriating that referent for current readers. A possibility for further study and analysis consists in examining church texts to see whether the Roman Catechism already exists in an appropriated form. Is there a document or text that actually reflects an appropriated version of the original 1566 catechism, and, if so, which one?

This paper is taken from the last chapter of  “The De-Judaization of the Image of Jesus of Nazareth (the Virgin Mary) at the Time of the Holocaust: Ensoulment and the Human Ovum” by Thomas Blüger (Xlibris 2021)

Introduction
Reviews two chapters from Ron Rosenbaum’s recent book Explaining Hitler while addressing certain metaphysical realities surrounding the Shoah. I do this for two reasons. First, has to do with the fact that questions raised by Ron Rosenbaum are of central importance to what I have written throughout this inquiry. Second, is that only a few theologians have responded to Rosenbaum’s concerns including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. At that time, because of his delicate position, Cardinal Ratzinger did not respond directly; but as the reader shall see, he has addressed what Rosenbaum has laid out.

Two weeks ago, in a post entitled “The West Needs Clarity, not Confusion About Islam,” I commented on Catholic writer William Kilpatrick’s article “Pope Francis Doesn’t Understand Islam,” which he had posted in Crisis Magazine on 25 September 2019.

https://www.academia.edu/40569765/The_West_Needs_Clarity_not_Confusion_About_Islam_7_October_2019_2_

He is continuing the theme of Christian-Muslim relations, in an article he published on the 27th of October 2019, entitled “How Will Islam Respond to the Church’s Drift Toward Pantheism?”

Der Artikel bietet eine Darstellung der auf den polnischen Gebieten in der Zeit der nachtridentinischen Reform entstandenen Katechismen an. Durch die Reformatoren erfunden, wurde diese Art der Evangelisierung von den Katholiken, besonders von den Jesuiten übernommen. Den größten Einfluss auf die Frömmigkeit und religiöse Erziehung der Bevölkerung hatten die sog. „kleinen Katechismen” (z.B. von Petrus Canisius), die große Auflagen erreichten. Die polnischen Jesuiten verwendeten sowohl ausländische, als auch einheimische Verfasser, die dann in alle Sprachen des polnischen Staates übersetzt wurden. Von daher gelten die Katechismen nicht nur als Quellen der historischen und religiösen Informationen, sondern auch als wichtige Schriftdenkmaler des estnischen, litauischen, lettischen und ruthenischen.


Artykuł zawiera omówienie katechizmów rzymsko-katolickich tworzonych po Soborze Trydenckim na ziemiach polskich. Były one popularną formą oddziaływania na światopogląd i życie codzienne społeczeństw, wynalezioną przez protestantów, a następnie przejętą przez katolików, a zwłaszcza ich ówczesną awangardę, czyli jezuitów. Największe oddziaływanie miały katechizmy tworzone przez niemieckiego jezuitę Piotra Kanizego, wydawane w ogromnych nakładach również w Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów, tłumaczone nie tylko na język polski, lecz także na estoński, litewski, łotewski i ruski, a zatem pełniące ważną rolę kulturotwórczą.

Tutto è connesso. Appello a sintonizzarsi con il Creatore.

Breve sussidio tratto dalla rivista "IL GABBIANO" del Centro Oratori della Diocesi di Brescia, sul tema della lettera enciclica Laudato si' di papa Francesco.
Destinatati: preadolescenti, adolescenti, giovani, educatori (catechisti, consacrati e laici)

It is essential to examine how the catechetical reforms of Vatican II are being implemented at the secondary level through an analysis of the requirements of the National Directory for Catechesis, the development, methodology, uses, and results of the Protocol for Assessing the Conformity of Catechetical Materials with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the impact of the Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age on diocesan and Catholic high school educational efforts.

The following is the text of a lecture I gave at a conference entitled, "Hope and Death: Christian Responses" at Ave Maria University on February 13, 2021. After treating the substantial tradition regarding limbo and the hope we have for infants who die without baptism in general, I speak more particularly to the Catechism's assertion that we are allowed to hope for the salvation of such infants.

In his proposal, which appears in the current Instrumentum Laboris for the 2015 Ordinary Synod, articles 120 and following, Cardinal Walter Kasper recommends a new pastoral discipline for the Church in which bishops would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to admit divorced and “remarried” Catholics to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion after repenting of their divorce but without requiring the sacramental confession of adultery and a firm commitment to live in complete continence. This suggested change in pastoral discipline is presented as more merciful than the Church’s current practice, but in fact it constitutes a grave sin of scandal in the strict sense. This is established by looking at Kasper’s proposal in light of the following six points of immutable doctrine: (1) Sacramental marriage is a life-long marital bond, dissolvable only by death. (2) The act of abandonment of the active divorcer with the intention to sever this bond is gravely sinful. (3) Those who attempt “remarriage” commit a further grave sin that Christ calls adultery.(4) Reception of Holy Communion in a state of unrepentant mortal sin is itself a grave sin of sacrilege. (5) Bishops who admit (or those who direct or encourage bishops to admit) unrepentant persons to Holy Communion commit a grave sin of scandal. (6) Divorcees who repent, commit to live in complete continence, and receive sacramental absolution are not in a state of mortal sin (at least with respect to the divorce and “remarriage”); but those who do not do so are in a state of mortal sin, given their full knowledge and consent. If a pastor discerns invincible ignorance on the part of the couple in this regard, it is his solemn duty to inform them clearly of their situation and urge them to repent so that they may truly find the mercy of Christ.

The Synod fathers and the Pope must reject Cardinal Kasper’s ersatz proposal of mercy as found in the Instrumentum Laboris and instead unequivocally reaffirm Christ’s genuine offer of mercy as found in the Church’s perennial practice and expressed by Pope St. John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio.