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07-07-2016, 09:10 PM
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Divorced and remarried Christians must not have sex, says Archbishop
ruth-gledhillRuth Gledhill
CHRISTIAN TODAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
07 July 2016
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Reuters
Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput
Catholics who have divorced and remarried without first obtaining an annulment must not have sex with their new spouse, a leading Catholic bishop has stated.
In a new set of pastoral guidelines Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput says divorced and remarried Catholics, as well as all who cohabit without being married, must not have sex if they want to be allowed to receive communion in church.
He also warns that openly gay couples should not be accepted into parish life because they are a danger to the faith of children.
The guidelines come on the back of the two meetings of the Synod on the Family in Rome in 2014 and 2015 and the resulting apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia.
Chaput was one of the Pope's synod advisers.
Many Catholics had been hoping for leniency from the Church on this issue. The current teaching, which has not changed but is ignored in some parishes, means that even the innocent spouse of an adulterer must be banned from receiving communion if they remarry without an annulment.
Chaput says the Pope's aim in the document is to strengthen existing families and to reach out to those whose marriages have failed, including those who feel alienated from the life of the Church.
"Catholic teaching makes clear that the subjective conscience of the individual can never be set against objective moral truth, as if conscience and truth were two competing principles for moral decision-making," he says.
Since well-meaning people can err in matters of conscience, especially in a culture that is already "deeply confused about complex matters of marriage and sexuality", a person may not be fully culpable for acting against the truth, he says.
Priests should therefore be merciful and adopt a sensitive pastoral approach.
However, Christian marriage, by its nature, "is permanent, monogamous and open to life," he continues.
"But an intimately shared life can also cause stress and suffering. Marital fidelity is an ongoing encounter with reality. Thus it involves real sacrifices and the discipline of subordinating one's own needs to the needs of others."
People who find themselves separated or divorcedand consciously refrain from a new union face no obstacle to receiving communion and other sacraments, he says.
But for Catholics who are divorced and have had a civil remarriage, "Church teaching requires them to refrain from sexual intimacy."
This applies even if they must, for the care of their children, continue to live under one roof.
"Undertaking to live as brother and sister is necessary for the divorced and civilly-remarried to receive reconciliation in the sacrament of penance, which could then open the way to the eucharist."
This means that where pastors give communion to divorced and remarried persons "trying to live chastely", they should do so in a manner that will avoid giving scandal or implying that Christ's teaching can be set aside, he says.
Care must also be taken to avoid "the unintended appearance of an endorsement of divorce and civil remarriage", he warns.
This means divorced and civilly remarried persons should be barred from positions of responsibility in a parish such as serving on the parish council and also they should not be allowed to carry out any liturgical ministries or functions, such as reading from the Bible or adminstering communion.
"This is a hard teaching for many, but anything less misleads people about the nature of the Eucharist and the Church," Chaput says.
Cohabiting and gay couples should also live without sex, he argues.
"Two persons in an active, public same-sex relationship, no matter how sincere, offer a serious counter-witness to Catholic belief, which can only produce moral confusion in the community. Such a relationship cannot be accepted into the life of the parish without undermining the faith of the community, most notably the children."
Mia Trotz, an 18-year-old college student from Philadelphia who was selling ice water outside the cathedral, told Philly News the guidelines did not make sense.
"The whole part about being a good Catholic or Christian is helping people or being more accepting of people, but most of the time they're going against what they're telling you to do," she said of church leaders.
"I'm Catholic but I don't agree with everything they do or believe, so it's kind of hard to be Catholic sometimes."
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Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?232512-Divorced-and-Remarried-Christians-must-not-have-sex!!&goto=newpost).
Eeek !! Sibeh Boh Huah man.
CHURCH
Divorced and remarried Christians must not have sex, says Archbishop
ruth-gledhillRuth Gledhill
CHRISTIAN TODAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
07 July 2016
Email Print Text Size Larger Smaller More Sharing Services Share
Reuters
Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput
Catholics who have divorced and remarried without first obtaining an annulment must not have sex with their new spouse, a leading Catholic bishop has stated.
In a new set of pastoral guidelines Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput says divorced and remarried Catholics, as well as all who cohabit without being married, must not have sex if they want to be allowed to receive communion in church.
He also warns that openly gay couples should not be accepted into parish life because they are a danger to the faith of children.
The guidelines come on the back of the two meetings of the Synod on the Family in Rome in 2014 and 2015 and the resulting apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia.
Chaput was one of the Pope's synod advisers.
Many Catholics had been hoping for leniency from the Church on this issue. The current teaching, which has not changed but is ignored in some parishes, means that even the innocent spouse of an adulterer must be banned from receiving communion if they remarry without an annulment.
Chaput says the Pope's aim in the document is to strengthen existing families and to reach out to those whose marriages have failed, including those who feel alienated from the life of the Church.
"Catholic teaching makes clear that the subjective conscience of the individual can never be set against objective moral truth, as if conscience and truth were two competing principles for moral decision-making," he says.
Since well-meaning people can err in matters of conscience, especially in a culture that is already "deeply confused about complex matters of marriage and sexuality", a person may not be fully culpable for acting against the truth, he says.
Priests should therefore be merciful and adopt a sensitive pastoral approach.
However, Christian marriage, by its nature, "is permanent, monogamous and open to life," he continues.
"But an intimately shared life can also cause stress and suffering. Marital fidelity is an ongoing encounter with reality. Thus it involves real sacrifices and the discipline of subordinating one's own needs to the needs of others."
People who find themselves separated or divorcedand consciously refrain from a new union face no obstacle to receiving communion and other sacraments, he says.
But for Catholics who are divorced and have had a civil remarriage, "Church teaching requires them to refrain from sexual intimacy."
This applies even if they must, for the care of their children, continue to live under one roof.
"Undertaking to live as brother and sister is necessary for the divorced and civilly-remarried to receive reconciliation in the sacrament of penance, which could then open the way to the eucharist."
This means that where pastors give communion to divorced and remarried persons "trying to live chastely", they should do so in a manner that will avoid giving scandal or implying that Christ's teaching can be set aside, he says.
Care must also be taken to avoid "the unintended appearance of an endorsement of divorce and civil remarriage", he warns.
This means divorced and civilly remarried persons should be barred from positions of responsibility in a parish such as serving on the parish council and also they should not be allowed to carry out any liturgical ministries or functions, such as reading from the Bible or adminstering communion.
"This is a hard teaching for many, but anything less misleads people about the nature of the Eucharist and the Church," Chaput says.
Cohabiting and gay couples should also live without sex, he argues.
"Two persons in an active, public same-sex relationship, no matter how sincere, offer a serious counter-witness to Catholic belief, which can only produce moral confusion in the community. Such a relationship cannot be accepted into the life of the parish without undermining the faith of the community, most notably the children."
Mia Trotz, an 18-year-old college student from Philadelphia who was selling ice water outside the cathedral, told Philly News the guidelines did not make sense.
"The whole part about being a good Catholic or Christian is helping people or being more accepting of people, but most of the time they're going against what they're telling you to do," she said of church leaders.
"I'm Catholic but I don't agree with everything they do or believe, so it's kind of hard to be Catholic sometimes."
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
5 important deep Spiritual truths we've learned from Euro 2016 South Sudan's fifth anniversary: commemorating a sombre birthday
Reprints
MORE NEWS IN CHURCH
bishop-of-worcester-john-inge-at-one-of-the-grant-recipients-st-philip-st-james-hallow
Cash grants help churches keep roofs safe for another rainy day
Nearly 300 beautiful and historic Church of England parish churches have been given vital funds to repair their roofs.
Archbishop of Canterbury wishes 'Eid Mubarak' to Muslims: 'We rejoice with you'
The Archbishop of Canterbury has wished Muslims "Eid Mubarak" as the Islamic fast in Ramadan comes to an end and the celebrations begin.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
10,000 Reasons: How Matt Redman's song has inspired Christians around the world
Beaten and abused for their faith in Jesus: Christian persecution in India
Why St Paul approved of sex, and why our bodies really matter
Apart from a big fight over homosexuality, what else is happening at General Synod?
Modern Monasticism: What does community living look like in the 21st Century?
The Chilcot report: what is it, what will we learn and why does it matter?
5 reasons why evangelical support for Trump is complicated
10 albums to make you feel better about the world
Saeed Abedini: Why is it so hard to accept he isn't perfect?
AROUND THE WORLD
South Sudan's fifth anniversary: commemorating a sombre birthday
Ancient crypt discovered in Turkish church
Jerusalem: Protesters hold mixed gender 'egalitarian' service at Western Wall
Churches forced to shut in Nigeria - for being too noisy
Eid festival prompts 72 hour truce in Syria
Syrian refugees to move in to Lambeth Palace next month
Christian Today
Get the Christian news that matters straight to your inbox!
Enter Your Email
SUBMIT
No thanks / I subscribed already
MOST POPULAR
Why St Paul approved of sex, and why our bodies really matter
Jason Sheats finds strength in Jesus after watching wife snap and gun down their 2 daughters in Texas
300 denominations meet for ecumenical gathering in Munich
4 alternative ways to pray
Christian rapper on confessing to murder: 'I wanted to get right with God'
Battle looms in Church of England over 'blessings' for gay marriage
Beaten and abused for their faith in Jesus: Christian persecution in India
Christian Today
Follow On
MORE ON CHRISTIAN TODAY
prayer-listening
4 alternative ways to pray
eid-al-fitr
In pictures: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the world
bible
Sister, servant and leader: Who was Phoebe in the Bible?
parents-and-kids
Effective parenting is impossible without God's grace
Christian Today
A Christian Media Corporation Company Christian Today is a Christian Media Corporation Company
Copyright © 2016 Christian Today. All Rights Reserved.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?232512-Divorced-and-Remarried-Christians-must-not-have-sex!!&goto=newpost).