Posted on 04/08/2011 4:36:13 AM PDT by surroundedbyblue
The Catholic archbishop of Santa Fe has issued a pastoral letter, read in all parishes of the archdiocese on April 3, that explains the Catholic Church’s position on reception of the sacraments to those living in cohabitation.
“We are all painfully aware that there are many Catholics today who are living in cohabitation,” the pastoral letter by Archbishop Michael Sheehan begins. “The Church must make it clear to the faithful that these unions are not in accord with the Gospel, and to help Catholics who find themselves in these situations to do whatever they must do to make their lives pleasing to God.”
The Gospel teaches that, when it comes to sexual union, “there are only two lifestyles acceptable to Jesus Christ for His disciples: a single life of chastity, or the union of man and woman in the Sacrament of Matrimony,” the archbishop states. “There is no ‘third way’ possible for a Christian. The Bible and the Church teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman and opposes same sex unions.”
In the short and concise pastoral letter, Archbishop Sheehan explains the objection of the Church to the “three groups of people who are living contrary to the Gospel teaching on marriage” receiving Communion.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...
I'm sure this poor man will receive fallout for speakng the truth. May the Lord grace him with strength.
Moral Ping!
I think this pastoral letter should go to every diocese nationwide!
Here in NY our abortion worshiping Governor lives in sin as an insult to marriage...I wonder if he receives Holy Communion?
Santa Fe archbishop: No Communion for cohabitating couples”
Anyone ever heard of a priest who violated his vows of celibacy (affairs, pedophiles) ever being denied Communion?
Yeah, me either.
I will wait to see his pastorl letter on Catholics who use Birth Control and go to Communion, and the one about politicians who are pro-abortion.
When we stop the ones who use Birth Control from ging to Communion we will lose about 90% of younger Catholics.
I praise his effort to bring Catholics moreunder the laws of the Church, but picking on one group while ignopring the other is not going to help the Church grow, and is hypocritical.
I myself believe the Birth Control law and the law on divorce need changing. Annulments that can be bought by the rich (Ted Kennedy) and not afforded by the poor are BS.
Having kids you cannot afford is stupid.
It is my belief that 75% of Catholics that go to communion every Sunday seldom are in a state of Grace, and haven’t been to penance in weeks and sometimes years.
Over the years following the rules of the Church has become very slack with most Catholics, and picking one to come down on while ignoring the others isn’t going to wok.
Of course the pastoral letter is fine, but IMO will mostly be ignored or drive those who do not obey to another Church or out altogether.
Let me explain -- to Catholics you should have confessed your sins before receiving communion. For the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics one must confess first before receiving communion as receiving communion when in a sinful state is bad.
A priest I knew during the pre-marital course told the group of young couple "Ok, I know some of you are sleeping together, it's wrong, but wronger still is going to communion with this sin -- don't receive communion while in this state of sin for the safety of your own soul. Get married, confess and then receive communion"
For the priest who violated his vow -- well, he's going to the hottest fires of hell anyway, so one more sin just adds more superfluous nails.
And, let me repeat -- those guys get my worse curses, toss them out, let them get the worse jailhouse punishments and even that won't be as bad as what they'll get in hell for being shepherds who abused their positions.
What does that have to do with anything?
Just wondering if you think cohabitation/sex outside of marriage is not a sin.
So let me get this straight....you think the Church should change it’s position on divorce & birth control? Those things are ok to you?!?!?!
Oh geez
His letter may be well intentioned but so was Humanae Vitae and look how many are kept from communion for ignoring that!
and I might add Evangelium Vitae which said no Catholic must ever take part even in voting for a law allowing abortion yet has a single Catholic politician been denied communion for doing so? Was Robert Drinian (Catholic priest and politician) ever denied ANYTHING for his unwavering support of abortion?
The letter will be issued and quietly put back in a file and no more will be heard of it. Ever.
What has happened is that the liberals who attack all of us Christians have over-exposed themselves. We all ignored this in the 70s and 80s when they attacked our brother anglicans, but the recent move on the ELCA with the lightning striking the meeting room was a sign and the exposure of the scum ex-priests in the 90s and now (curses on them all) means that more people are aware of the leftist attack on Christianity.
We need to all stick together -- we face two attacks -- militant secularism and Islam
What priest do you know that received in such a state?
Yeah, thought so.
Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Is there something in doctrine that allows a priest to refuse absolution if the sin is ongoing, and the one confessing apparently intends to repeat the sin indefinitely?
Your question is moot. If the sinner intends to do it again, the confession is meaningless. If the sinner is truly repentant, it is not for the confessor to second guess.
Besides, do you really think such a sinner is going to confess the same sin over and over TO THE SAME CONFESSOR?
Yeah I guess I am crazy.
3/4 of Catholics of child bearing age are using Birth Control in spite of the Church.
And I am sure that God wanted me to spend 50 years fighting a woman I never should have married in the first place and cannot divorce.
Geez is right.
Yes, thats true. Marriage is sacred and permanent. If you married someone you shouldn't have, tough buttons. You called the tune, you pay the piper. God expects his rules to be obeyed.
Sorry about your marriage but the vows “for better or worse” are binding. You could get an annulment you can demonstrate abuse, etc, but otherwise, sorry.
As far as birth control, I do not care what percentage of people are doing it in spite of the Church. What is right is not always poplular, & what is popular is not always right. Contraception violates the natural law & spits in the eye of God. The Church’s teachings on birth control are spot-on. And, btw, the Pill acts as an abortifacient. No one should be embracing this. People who do are doing so for selfish reasons.
You can leave, but remarriage is the issue.
Allows? No. Requires is the correct word.
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