Pope Francis has been creating waves since his election back in 2013 and continues to do so much to the delight and shagrin of many Catholics. Earlier this week he was at it again, messing with people's perspective about a very sensitive issue, divorce and remarriage without an annulment. I would like to bring some clarity to what the Holy Father actually said, and offer some food for thought about this provocative issue.
Pope Francis The "Provocateur"
What was the inflammatory statement this time? At his Wednesday general audience on August 5, 2015, he said:
"In fact, these people [divorced and civilly remarried Catholics] are not at all excommunicated, they are not excommunicated! And they are absolutely not treated as such: they are always part of the Church."
Why does this upset some Catholics? I believe it's because they are trying to uphold the truths of our faith regarding divorce which stem from Christ's own words: "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery" (Luke 16:18). These good and decent Catholics are concerned with fighting against the culture of divorce which is so prevalent in our country. They find the Holy Father's remarks particularly questionable because they believe the Pope has an agenda to relax or even change Church teaching to accommodate Catholics in divergent life situations. But, nothing about what Pope Francis said is against Church teaching.
Pope Francis is correct because, although anyone who is formally excommunicated from the Church is prohibited from receiving the Eucharist, not everyone who is prohibited from receiving the Eucharist is excommunicated. Excommunication is a canonical sanction that has various legal effects, and is aptly described in canon law.
Divorced and civilly remarried Catholics are not excommunicated, but they are prohibited from receiving the Eucharist because they are not in a state of grace. Anyone—married, single, widowed, divorced—faces this same penalty if they are not in a state of grace.
Why does this delight some Catholics? Well, for those who don't understand the issue, they very well might think Pope Francis is relaxing the law and spear-heading the effort to change Church teaching. But for those who do understand the issue, the Holy Father's words are a breath of fresh air, an open door that welcomes people back to healing, not one that is slammed shut in their faces.
Let's roll up our sleeves and get to the root of the matter for a moment. The problem of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics happens in steps, usually like this:
- A Catholic couple gets divorced. It might be contrary to Church teaching, but it happens whether we like it or not. And for most of these divorces, there is typically one spouse who didn't want it but was forced into it. The no-fault divorce laws in nearly every U.S. state ensure it will happen if one spouse wants it.
- These Catholics go to church and do not feel welcome because they are often met with harsh judgment from other Catholics. Or worse, they automatically assume they are not welcome and never return. A large percentage of them leave the Church to find acceptance.
- They date, fall in love and remarry without an annulment. Why without an annulment? Because they don't consider themselves Catholic anymore.
- At some point the Holy Spirit draws them back home to the Catholic Church and they find themselves in a real pickle.
This is precisely the point where they need compassion, and it's important to remember that showing compassion does not mean you are condoning divorce. They need parishioners who care about helping them come back to full communion, following the example of the Good Shepherd who goes out in search of the lost sheep.
Pope Francis is also not the first pope in history to try and turn people's attention to Catholics who are divorced and civilly remarried. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Saint John Paul II have both made public statements that divorced men and women are an important part of the Church and should be treated with compassion:
We all know that this is a particularly painful problem for people who live in situations in which they are excluded from the Eucharistic Communion, and naturally for the priests who desire to help these people love the Church and love Christ. This is a problem. None of us has a ready-made formula, also because situations always differ.""...from the discussions we [bishops] had I realized that it is a highly-complex problem and ought to be studied further. But given these people's painful plight, it must be studied further."
- Pope Benedict XVI’s Comments on Ministry to Divorced and Civilly-Remarried Catholics - Conference with priests, religious and deacons, July 25, 2005
I earnestly call upon pastors and the whole community of the faithful to help the divorced and with solicitous care to make sure that they do not consider themselves as separated from the Church, for as baptized persons they can and indeed must, share in her life.
- Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio
As far as I can see, Pope Francis is not attempting to change Church teaching at all. He's trying to get Catholics to wake up, get out of their comfortable Catholic worlds, see the suffering people around them and use the gifts, talents and graces God has bestowed upon them to bring the lost sheep home as he has done for us. He wants us all to go in search of the wounded and bring them back to the field hospital that is the Church.
I welcome your comments and questions at [email protected].
