The Multi-Marriage Ceremony - Obfuscation Of The Issue Of Sacrilege

Yesterday Catholic News Agency posted a piece by Kevin Jones and Ann Schneible entitled "No Scandal Here: How The 20 Couples Married By Pope Francis Were Legit".  Right there in the title can be seen a hint of the problem.  In all the reading I've done on this matter, I don't recall anyone casting doubt on the canonical legitimacy of what happened this past Sunday at St. Peter's Bascilica.

Possible sacrilege is another matter - one that is receiving too little attention.  The Sacrament of Matrimony, being a sacrament of the living, must be received in a state of sanctifying grace.  Else sacrilege will occur.  All reports indicate that at least a few couples were "CURRENTLY cohabitating": not "WERE cohabitating" but "CURRENTLY".

Now bear in mind these couples were selected by the Vatican for this Sunday ceremony.  Why were "CURRENTLY cohabitating" couples selected?  I asked a number of questions in a post Friday that I won't rehash here; please read the post and "Leon's" comment.  That comment is most telling in terms of marriage preparation in US parishes at least.  In a post on Saturday, I tried to reply to Leon as well as rehearse the preparation for my own First Confession.  I used those Baltimore Catechism questions to illustrate concerns as to whether those 20 couples were given ample time and teaching to avail themselves of that Sacrament, and to understand why fornication is mortally sinful.

Let's move back to the CNA article.  John Grabowski, a theology professor at Catholic University of America, had this to say about the Holy Father's approach: "What he wants to do is simply put the Church’s focus on mercy, on an encounter with Christ as the heart of its life."

"Put the Church's focus on mercy"??!?!  Odd!  Since when has the Church not focused on mercy?  No need to put focus on something if that focus is already there (and has been for two thousand years).  I will now link to an excellent piece written by Msgr Charles Pope (ht LifeSiteNews) regarding the mortal sin of fornication, which would have been the sin of those cohabitating.  One sentence is key, with this "focus on mercy".  It is "Mercy is accessed only by repentance".  It's toward the end of the article but the rest is very worthwhile.  If we're really going to "focus on mercy" there must be focus on the Sacrament of Confession, for only therein is forgiveness for mortal sin.

As I said in one of the previous posts, I know priests who make plain in their bulletins that any couples seeking marriage in their churches while living together will be required to separate.  Will the efforts of these good priests now be undermined by what happened Sunday?  While I hope not, I think so.

More On Today's Multi-Marriage Ceremony

BBC News did a little piece on the ceremony at St Peter's Basilica earlier today.  Naturally it had a nice leftist twist to it.  I await the full text.  Meanwhile I'll comment (in red) on the snippets that BBC did see fit to publish.

Sunday's ceremony at St Peter's Basilica in Rome comes three weeks before a meeting of Catholic bishops from around the world to examine church teachings on family matters.  A mere three weeks!  How about that?  Coincidence?

Very slowly, the church under the guidance of Pope Francis is facing the fact that many Catholic couples cohabit before marriage, use contraception freely and divorce and remarry without seeking an annulment, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome.  Mr. Willey, the Church has always been aware of these matters.  The Church has been around much longer than you or I have been alive, and has been dealing with these matters regularly during these past 2000 years.  Mr. Willey, these "facts" as you call them are sins.  Got that?  They are transgressions against God's laws and they always will be sins, and will be treated accordingly.

He (the Pope) said in his homily that families are bricks that build society, but also believes that the church should forgive those who have sex outside marriage or who don't obey church teaching to the letter.  Well, the Church does forgive such sins and has been doing so these past 2000 years - in the Sacrament of Confession.  But they must be sacramentally confessed for they are mortal sins.  That's why I went into such a long discussion about the Sacrament yesterday.  

As I said, I'd love to see the full transcript of today's nuptial homily.  No doubt some important details were omitted (inadvertently, of course).