✣Cardinal laments Vatican silence on intercommunion
What happened?
Cardinal Wilhelm Eijk has strongly criticised the Vatican’s response to a dispute in the German Church. The German bishops approved draft guidelines which would permit some Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion. A group of seven cardinals said this contradicted Church teaching, and appealed to Rome. Pope Francis – via the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – refused to settle the issue, asking the German bishops to reach an agreement.
What cardinals said
In an article for the National Catholic Register, Cardinal Eijk said he found the Vatican response incomprehensible. Most German Protestants, being Lutherans, do not uphold Catholic belief in the Eucharist. If they agree with Church teaching, they should become Catholic, the Dutch cardinal argued. He claimed that “the bishops and, above all, the Successor of Peter” were failing to “transmit faithfully” the “deposit of faith”, and that it reminded him of the Catechism’s words: “Before Christ’s Second Coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.”
Cardinal Gerhard Müller said the Vatican’s response was “very poor”, and that there is no “sacramental communion without ecclesial communion”.
What commentators said
The National Catholic Register’s Edward Pentin said that the German bishops had also been unhappy with the result. Pentin quoted the German commentator Mathias von Gersdorff as saying that the Pope had effectively rejected the proposal of the German bishops, led by Cardinal Reinhard Marx. In effect, von Gersdorff said, Francis had told Cardinal Marx: “You have created a huge problem. Look to yourself to try and get out of it.”
The Vatican may not have wanted to adjudicate in the first place, said John Allen at Crux. But in today’s world, with rapid communication and social media, “We all know everything that happens everywhere immediately, and pressures on Rome to react, whether from the grassroots or the hierarchy, often make some sort of intervention inevitable.”
✣The most overlooked story of the week
✣✣ Thousands flock to March for Life in London
What happened?
Pro-lifers took to the streets of London on Saturday for March for Life UK, the first time the march has come to the capital. American singer Joy Villa led an estimated 4,000 marchers through the city to Parliament Square, where speakers including Clare McCullough of the Good Counsel Network addressed the crowd.
Why was it under-reported
The march is not yet a London fixture – until now it has been in Birmingham – so the media may have simply missed it. Political bias may also have been at work: the peaceful witness to life, from marchers of all ages, is uncomfortable for a London media dominated by pro-abortion journalists. The next day’s free speech march, which featured controversial speakers, received a lot of coverage although only 2,000 to 3,000 people turned up. But there was hardly a single headline about the March for Life, which had a significantly larger crowd.
What will happen next?
The event is expected to remain in London. Meanwhile, pro-lifers have a lot to keep them busy. Perhaps most pressingly, a campaign is under way – with some parliamentary support – to ban pro-lifers from praying and offering help outside abortion clinics. It has already won a victory in Ealing, where the council has banned vigils. Abortion campaigners have stepped up their efforts in other areas, too: BPAS, an abortion provider, is campaigning under the slogan “We Trust Women” to remove all criminal penalties.
✣The week ahead
Pope Francis is reportedly meeting the Chilean bishops next week. The Pope called the meeting in a letter apologising for “serious mistakes” in his handling of the Chilean abuse row and asking for the bishops’ help in repairing the scandal. Two Chilean cardinals have already called for the bishop at the centre of the row, Juan Barros, to resign.
Australia is holding its own rosary around the coast on Sunday. The Oz Rosary, organised by Catholics in Sydney under the patronage of Bishop David Cremin, will take place in 180 locations. It follows similar events in Europe.
Fr Dermot Mansfield SJ will give a talk on “Cardinal John Henry Newman: A Light for Our Times” at St Mary Moorfields Church in central London this evening. Fr Mansfield is the author of a Newman biography, Heart Speaks Unto Heart. The event starts with refreshments at 6.45pm. The talk itself begins at 7.30pm.
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