Pope says “no” to hasty, bureaucratic judgements on marriage annulments

La Stampa ^ | 11/8/2013

[markomalley]

“If a Defender of the Bond wants to serve well, he cannot limit himself to a hasty reading of the acts or to bureaucratic and generic answers,” Francis said in his Audience with the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church. In his address he spoke about the important function of the Defender of the Bond in the marriage annulment process, urging him to "harmonize the provisions of Canon law with the concrete situations of the Church and society.”

The Defender of the Bond’s faithful fulfilment of his task does not mean taking over the ecclesiastical judge’s duties. His task is simply to present the case, the Pope said. His task is to present all proof, exceptions, complaints and appeals are presented in respect of the truth and in defence of the marital bond.

When the Defender of the Bond presents an appeal to the Roman Rota against a decision he deems detrimental to the truth of a bond, he does not abuse his office by carrying out tasks that belong to the judge; rather, the thorough work carried out by the Defender of the Bond helps the judge perform his job.

In his address to members of the Apostolic Signatura, he recognised the work it did to ensure the correct administration of justice in the Church. “Your job is to promote the work of the ecclesiastical Tribunals that are called to adequately respond to faithful who turn to the Church’s justice system to obtain just decision.”

Finally, the Pope addressed those whose ministry is dedicated to ecclesiastical justice. “They act on behalf of the Church and they are part of the Church,” Francis underlined. So it is important to maintain the link between the evangelical action of the Church and the Church’s administration of justice. “Service to justice is a commitment of apostolic life: it requires to be exercised with one’s gaze fixed upon the icon of the Good Shepherd, who bends himself toward the lost and wounded sheep.”

[piusv]

From the Catechism:

Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.278 He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

I don't see where ebbtide judged the moral fault of anyone, including Francis. Could you provide the actual quote, Mrs. Don-o? It seems to me that he refers to Francis making more mistakes and since he's already made quite a few of them that doesn't seem to be a rash statement so much as a statement based on Francis' past actions.

Wrt the subject at hand, I can see what ebbtide is saying and yet I am still not sure what all of this means because it doesn't seem clear to me (although things not being clear is a hallmark of Vatican II and post-Vatican II verbiage). I'm certainly not going to sit here and tell him he shouldn't be feeling the way he does. He has every right to express his concerns. He has good reason to be concerned.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I couldn't get past the first 6 words. What a jaw-dropper.

I'm speechless. "Textless".

In all sincerity --- where did I insinuate you were going to hell?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Where did I declare that ebb tide judged the moral fault of Francis?

This thread is becoming too weird. Just a few posts back Mamzelle said I implied she was going to hell (what the???) --- and here's the common factor: I'm cautioning about moral hazards, near occasions of sin, and these cautions are being taken as personal accusations.

I know that some Catholics are distressed and concerned about Pope Francis, so that every initiative of his inspires prefatory worry. The worry itself is not a fault, but the constant, public "Hermeneutic of Suspicion" applied to the Roman Pontiff's intentions, words,and deeds is unfair and unedifying.

"Hermeneutic of Suspicion" should be left to the sadoevangelicals --- or the LCWR.

There are plenty of actual, documented faults that can be dissected (e.g. the cringe-worthy La Repubbblica pseudo-interview). Dissect that with pliers and a sawzall, if you need to. But please leave off the preemptive public keening over imagined future papal offenses.

As Our Lord said, "Sufficient to the day are the evils hereof."

(Now I have a time-sensitive need to practice my Latin Propers. I'm outta here!)

[piusv]

You accused him of rash judgment and the correct definition of that includes judging someone’s moral fault. If he did not do that, then you can not accuse him of rash judgment.

[piusv]

There are plenty of actual, documented faults that can be dissected (e.g. the cringe-worthy La Repubbblica pseudo-interview). Dissect that with pliers and a sawzall, if you need to. But please leave off the preemptive public keening over imagined future papal offenses.

This is exactly why people question Francis. His own words and actions make people suspect his future words and actions.

[ebb tide]

Both suspicion and fear are both fully justified concerning the temporal reign of Pope Francis:

Is Pope Francis a Modernist?

[Mamzelle]

Well, you did say that the road to hell was from the bad things that come out of our mouths. I figure that also means digital mouths.

I apologize for over reacting.

The pope this time around is an odd bird and he has made me uneasy from the outset, including the unusual way he came into office. So many are coming into leadership out if nowhere, and I generally suspect some behind the scenes billionaire oligarch pulling the strings.

[Mrs. Don-o]

An alternative narrative is that Bergoglio and Ratzinger were running neck-and-neck in the 2005 Conclave until Bergoglio gave a short but impassioned speech asking the Cardinal to vote for Ratzinger. Then when Ratzinger abdicated this year, many completed the do-si-do and said "Bene! It's Bergoglio's turn."

I'd like to turn down the heat-pumps in this thread, not fire them up. There's always been considerable mutual amity between you and me, Mamzelle. I nurture the hope that nothing has injured that good will.

[ebb tide]

Pope Francis said:

We need to include the excluded and preach peace. Vatican II, inspired by Pope Paul VI and John, decided to look to the future with a modern spirit and to be open to modern culture. The Council Fathers knew that being open to modern culture meant religious ecumenism and dialogue with non-believers. But afterwards very little was done in that direction. I have the humility and ambition to want to do something."

"To open oneself to modernity is a duty."

If he looks like a modernist, walks like a modernist and talks like a modernist...

[Mamzelle]

Not at all. I may need to stay out of religion threads.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I would agree that this is dangerous ambiguity, but I am not sure that "modernity" is the same as "modernISM" or "the Modernist heresy." Just like every American who says he loves "Americanism" is not guilty of "the American-IST Heresy"

In other words, this puts me in a "let's see what he means" attitude.

BTW, I'm much more concerned about his promotion of Maradiaga as his advisor. On that, I have a "let's see what he means" attitude, frankly frowning.

In other news, I notice Pope Francis recently said Mass Ad Orientem. He chose one of those altars which is back flush with the East wall, and allowed pictures to be taken. Pope John Paul II had celebrated Mass at that altar too, but had not allowed pictures or videos.

[Campion]

This True Family continues, I contend, to have a righteous issue against a church that puts them away for the convenience of an immoral woman.

Why is your venom reserved for the Church? The state granted both of them a divorce first, didn't it? Why is the state not guilty of "putting them away"?

[Mamzelle]

The state only speaks for the state. The Church speaks to the spiritual. It’s not the divorce that is my issue. That was bad enough. It’s the spectacle of a congregation and priest gathering to declare that a True Family never existed. It did exist. How would that congregation look in the eyes of the wronged family after adding insult to tragedy? If there must be some kind of ritual, why not require an apology to the True Family in front of witnesses and a penance?