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Lord save us from your Church, part deux
Apr. 21st, 2003 08:49 amOK, so the Vatican has made yet another pronouncement. This time they really aren't saying anything new, just reminding people that those who divorce and remarry are to be denied the Sacraments and that Catholics aren't supposed to take communion in non-Catholic churches.
While the news media have jumped on this as though it were actually news, in my opinion most people (including most Catholics as far as I know) will quite simply ignore this reminder as being irrelevant. Individual priests are simply not expected to know the intimate details of every parishioner and visitor as they must to enforce these rules, and who really expects them to start now?
If the Church feels the need to get heavy-handed in this matter, it will only be harming itself. In many parts of the world, the hierarchy (or bureaucracy might be a better term for it) is treated more as a nuisance to be gotten around than any sort of governing body. In particular, the issue of intercommunion is part and parcel of the ecumenical movement, and it appears that will be an issue that will set back Christian unity by decades.
One wonders if the good folks at the Vatican realize that sort of intolerance and reactionary policy is causing people to flee the Church, and if they are therefore sacrificing ecumenism to try and force people to stay. If so, it won't work.
While the news media have jumped on this as though it were actually news, in my opinion most people (including most Catholics as far as I know) will quite simply ignore this reminder as being irrelevant. Individual priests are simply not expected to know the intimate details of every parishioner and visitor as they must to enforce these rules, and who really expects them to start now?
If the Church feels the need to get heavy-handed in this matter, it will only be harming itself. In many parts of the world, the hierarchy (or bureaucracy might be a better term for it) is treated more as a nuisance to be gotten around than any sort of governing body. In particular, the issue of intercommunion is part and parcel of the ecumenical movement, and it appears that will be an issue that will set back Christian unity by decades.
One wonders if the good folks at the Vatican realize that sort of intolerance and reactionary policy is causing people to flee the Church, and if they are therefore sacrificing ecumenism to try and force people to stay. If so, it won't work.